Who is demanding the repeal of the Waqf Act? There will be a big hearing in SC today, understand the whole matter in 10 points.

Posted on 16th Apr 2025 by rohit kumar

The petitions filed in the Supreme Court regarding the Waqf Act will be heard today. From 2 p.m., a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar will listen to arguments on the petitions filed against and in support of the Waqf Board.

 

10 petitions have been listed with the bench headed by the CJI. But more than 70 petitions have been filed against the Waqf Act, including religious institutions, MPs, political parties, and states. Let us know what has happened so far regarding the Waqf Act...

 

The Waqf Board Amendment Bill, passed by the Parliament on April 4, got the President's approval on April 5. The government had issued a notification for the implementation of the Act from April 8.

 

7 states including Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Assam have filed a petition in the Supreme Court arguing that the constitutional validity of the Waqf Board Amendment Act 2025 should be maintained.

 

The 10 petitions which will be heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna have been filed by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Delhi Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind President Arshad Madani, All Kerala Jamiatul Ulema, Anjum Qadri, Tayyab Khan Salmani, Mohammad Shafi, Mohammad Fazlurrahim and RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha.

 

Some petitions have termed the law unconstitutional and demanded its repeal. Some petitions have demanded a stay on its implementation. It has also been described as arbitrary and discriminatory against Muslims.

 

In his petition, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that the amended law abolishes the protection given to Waqf. He has claimed that reducing the protection given to Waqf properties and retaining it for other religions is discriminatory.

 

Aamantullah Khan of AAP has argued in his petition that the inclusion of non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board is a violation of Article 14 and has no rational connection with the purpose of religious property administration.

 

The government has said that this bill is about property and its management, not about religion. The government has said that there are large-scale irregularities in the management of Waqf properties and their income does not help poor Muslims or women and children, which the amended law will correct.

 

Also, this bill has been prepared after consulting a large section of people and it also has the support of non-Muslim minorities. The government has claimed that this bill has undergone the scrutiny of the Joint Parliamentary Committee and many amendments suggested by the members have been incorporated in it.

 

There have been protests in many parts of the country against the Waqf law and the bill before it. The worst of these was in Bengal, where violence broke out during the protests, leaving three people dead and many homeless. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her government will not implement the amended Waqf Act.

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