New Delhi, 6 April

A fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The petition claims that it is a "clear interference" in the rights of the religious denomination to manage its own affairs as a matter of religion. President Droupadi Murmu on 5 April gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was earlier passed by Parliament after a heated debate in both Houses. Several petitions have been filed in the apex court challenging the validity of the Bill.

The fresh petition has been filed by Samasta Kerala Jamiyathul Ulema, a religious organisation of Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics in Kerala. The petition says that the amendments would distort the religious character of Waqf and also irreversibly damage the democratic process in the administration of Waqf and Waqf Boards.

It alleges that the 2025 Act is against the federal principles of the Constitution as it takes away all the powers of the state governments and state waqf boards with regard to waqf and deposits all the powers in the hands of the Central government. The cumulative effect of these provisions would be highly detrimental to waqfs at large and the Muslim community would be deprived of a large portion of waqf properties due to the operation of these provisions, the plea said.

Several individuals, including Congress MP Mohammad Javed, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, have filed pleas in the apex court challenging the validity of the Bill. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed with 128 members voting in favour and 95 against in the Rajya Sabha. It was supported by 288 members and opposed by 232 in the Lok Sabha.