AIMPLB plans to file a contempt plea in the Supreme Court over the Centre’s decision to operationalize the Waqf Umeed Portal. The Board says the move is illegal as the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025 is still under judicial review.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has raised strong objections to the Central Government’s plan to start the Waqf Umeed Portal from June 6.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the AIMPLB called this step illegal and said that it amounts to contempt of court because the law behind the portal, the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, is still under challenge in the Supreme Court.
The AIMPLB said it would approach the Supreme Court and file a contempt petition against the government’s decision.
According to the Board, all Muslim organizations are against the new law, and even several opposition parties, human rights groups, and other minority communities such as Sikh and Christian groups have criticized it.
The AIMPLB stated that the matter is still pending before the top court, yet the government has gone ahead and launched the portal, making it compulsory to register Waqf properties on it.
The Board said that this act amounts to contempt of court because the law under which the portal has been launched is still being heard in court.
“Despite the pendency of the matter before the Supreme Court, the government has proceeded to launch the portal and made registration of Waqf properties mandatory through it.”
It added that this move shows disrespect for the court’s authority and asked Muslims and State Waqf Boards to avoid using the portal until the Supreme Court gives its final decision.
“The press note further appealed to Muslims and State Waqf Boards to refrain from using the portal until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict.”
The Supreme Court had reserved its order just two weeks ago in a set of petitions that had asked for a stay on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
A bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih had heard all the parties for three days before reserving its decision on the interim relief request.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 was passed by the Lok Sabha on April 3 and by the Rajya Sabha on April 4. The President gave his assent to the law on April 5.
The amendment has changed the original Waqf Act of 1995 and is meant to regulate Waqf properties, which are properties given for religious or charity purposes under Islamic law.
Many petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court questioning the constitutional validity of this amendment.
These include petitions filed by Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Other petitioners also came forward in the days that followed.
The petitioners say the new law discriminates against Muslims and targets their religious properties unfairly.
According to them, the law interferes with the Muslim community’s fundamental right to manage its own religious matters, which is protected under the Constitution.
“According to the petitioners, the amendments selectively target Muslim religious endowments and interfere with the community’s constitutionally protected right to manage its own religious affairs.”
At the same time, six states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Assam, have filed intervention applications in the Supreme Court supporting the new law.
These states said they would be affected if the constitutional validity of the amendment is changed in any way.
The biggest issue in the legal challenge is that the new law removes the concept of ‘waqf by user’ from the definition of waqf.
The petitioners argue that because of this change, many old mosques, graveyards, and properties used for charity, many of which have existed for hundreds of years without formal documents—could lose their religious identity.
“According to the petitioners, this omission would deprive historical mosques, graveyards and charitable properties, many of which have existed for centuries without formal waqf deeds, of their religious character.”
On the other hand, the Union government has defended the new law. The government said that the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 was introduced to stop the misuse of waqf rules, where some people were wrongfully claiming private and government land as waqf property.
In its written reply to the court, the Centre said that after the last amendment to the Waqf Act in 2013, there was a 116% increase in the total area of waqf properties.
“In a written response to the petitions challenging the new law, the Centre said after the previous amendment to the Waqf Act in 2013, there was a 116 per cent rise in ‘auqaf area’.”
The government further said that removing the ‘waqf by user’ clause does not take away the right to dedicate property to God but only makes the process of dedication more regular and as per the legal rules.
“Defending the abolition of the concept of ‘waqf by user’, the Centre said despite there being a regime of mandatory registration for all kinds of waqf since 1923, individuals or organisations used to claim private lands and government lands as waqf ‘which not only lead to deprivation of valuable property rights of individual citizens but similarly unauthorized claims over public properties.’”
The Centre added,
“The exclusion of ‘waqf by user’ from the definition of waqf does not curtail the right to dedicate property to God, but merely regulates the form of dedication in keeping with statutory requirements.”
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