The Muslim organisation has strongly alleged that the new law is a threat to religious freedom and called it a “dangerous conspiracy” against the Muslim community.
New Delhi, April 6 – The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has approached the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
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The Muslim organisation has strongly alleged that the new law is a threat to religious freedom and called it a “dangerous conspiracy” against the Muslim community.
President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on Saturday, after the legislation was passed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha amid intense debates and political opposition.
Several Muslim organisations and leaders have come forward to oppose the new law by filing petitions in the apex court. One of the key petitioners, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, has openly stated that the law goes against the core principles of the Indian Constitution.
“This bill is a dangerous conspiracy to strip Muslims of their religious freedom. Therefore, we have challenged the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, in the Supreme Court, and the state units of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind will also challenge the constitutional validity of this law in the high courts of their respective states,” the Jamiat said in a press release.
“President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Arshad Madani, has not only challenged various provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act but has also filed an interim petition in court to prevent the law from coming into effect,” it added.
Another major religious organisation, Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, which represents Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics from Kerala, has also filed a separate petition in the Supreme Court.
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Their plea, filed through advocate Zulfiker Ali P S, raises concerns that the amended law interferes with the rights of religious groups to manage their own religious matters, especially Waqfs.
“Hence, it is submitted that the 2025 Act is a blatant intrusion into the rights of a religious denomination to manage its own affairs in the matter of religion which is protected under Article 26 of the Constitution of India,” said the plea by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema.
The petition also criticises the law for taking away powers from state governments and transferring all authority regarding Waqfs to the Central Government.
“The cumulative effect of these provisions will be highly detrimental to Waqfs at large and the Muslim community will be deprived of large tract of Waqf properties on account of operation of these provisions,” the plea said.
Apart from religious bodies, political leaders like Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan have also approached the Supreme Court with separate petitions challenging the law.
An NGO, Association for the Protection of Civil Rights, has also filed a petition seeking to strike down the law as unconstitutional.
Jawed, who was also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that examined the Bill, pointed out that the law imposes unfair limitations on Waqf properties.
The petition, filed through advocate Anas Tanwir, said the law discriminated against the Muslim community by “imposing restrictions that are not present in the governance of other religious endowments”.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 votes in favour and 95 against. In the Lok Sabha, it was approved with 288 votes for and 232 against.
Jawed, in his plea, argued that the new law imposes unnecessary conditions based on the practice duration of a person’s religious activities.
The plea stated that the Bill “introduces restrictions on the creation of Waqfs based on the duration of one’s religious practice”.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also raised concerns in his petition that the new law takes away the protections granted to Waqfs, while such safeguards continue for religious and charitable trusts of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs.
“This diminishing of the protection given to Waqfs while retaining them for religious and charitable endowments of other religions constitutes hostile discrimination against Muslims and is violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religion,” said Owaisi’s plea, filed by advocate Lzafeer Ahmad.
He claimed the amendments could undo years of reform in Waqf management and expose it to misuse.
The plea argued the amendments “irreversibly dilute” the statutory protection afforded to Waqfs and their regulatory framework while giving “undue advantage” to other stakeholders and interest groups, undermining years of progress and pushing back Waqf management by several decades.
In his petition, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan requested the Supreme Court to declare the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as unconstitutional.
His plea stated that the Bill is “unconstitutional and being violative of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30 and 300-A of the Constitution”.
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