New Delhi, Aug. 1 -- MOSCOW - A court in Moscow has ordered the seizure of 123 properties linked to Jehovah's Witnesses across Russia, the largest single transfer of religious real estate since the Kremlin declared the organization extremist nine years ago, stripping believers of worship halls, community buildings, and in some cases their homes.

The Prosecutor General's Office brought the application that led to Thursday's order, arguing that properties used by or registered to Jehovah's Witnesses members constitute assets of an extremist organization and are therefore subject to state confiscation under Russian anti-extremism legislation. The court accepted that argument, and the 123-property portfolio now passes to state ownership pend...