Supreme Court to Consider Urgent Hearing on Pleas Against Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025

New Delhi, April 7, 2025 — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider urgent listing of multiple petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which received presidential assent from Droupadi Murmu on April 5.

Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud responded after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, mentioned the matter for immediate hearing. “All the matters will be placed before me in the afternoon,” said CJI Chandrachud, advising lawyers to follow listing procedures already in place.

Nearly a dozen petitions have been filed so far, with more expected as backlash intensifies. Among the petitioners are the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Indian Union Muslim League, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, and several political figures including DMK MP A Raja, Haryana Congress MLA Aftab Ahmad, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan.

The Waqf Bill was passed in Parliament last week—first in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, and then in the Rajya Sabha early Friday morning by a vote of 128-95.

Under the amended Act, only self-owned properties can be declared as Waqf, provided inheritance rights of women and children are preserved. The legislation mandates that district collectors verify land ownership before approving Waqf declarations. It also grants state governments the authority to nominate board members, including representatives from both Sunni and Shia sects and backward communities.

Critics, however, have called the amendment unconstitutional. In its petition, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind described it as a “direct attack on the Constitution,” which guarantees religious freedom and equal rights. Other organisations claimed the law infringes on Article 26, which protects the right of religious groups to manage their own affairs.

The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama warned that the Act could distort the religious character of Waqfs and severely undermine the democratic functioning of Waqf Boards. AIMIM’s Owaisi argued that the law strips Muslims of protections offered to other religious communities and violates the principle of non-discrimination.

The petitions are likely to be taken up for hearing later this week as legal and political pressure mounts on the Centre.