The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court questioning the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The move comes just a day after President Droupadi Murmu approved the legislation on April 5, following intense debates in Parliament.
On April 6, the AIMPLB formally submitted its plea, arguing that the recent amendments are arbitrary, discriminatory, and designed to exclude the Muslim community from managing their own religious institutions.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan, acknowledged similar pleas from various political and religious leaders including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, agreeing to consider them for an urgent hearing.
In a statement, AIMPLB spokesperson SQR Ilyas said the changes undermine Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, which protect religious freedom and the right to manage religious institutions. The Board expressed concern that the amendments are an attempt by the government to centralize control over Waqf properties, stripping Muslims of their rights to govern religious endowments.
The Board also criticized the new criteria for selecting members of the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, and the clause mandating that a waqif (donor) be a practising Muslim for five years, calling it incompatible with both the Constitution and Islamic principles.
Labeling the law as discriminatory and inconsistent with Article 14 of the Constitution, the AIMPLB pointed out that the rights granted to religious trusts of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, and Buddhists are not extended to Muslim Waqf institutions.
The petition requests the apex court, as the guardian of constitutional values, to intervene and strike down the amended law in order to safeguard minority rights and preserve the secular spirit of the Constitution.
Advocate M R Shamshad is overseeing the case, with Talha Abdul Rahman serving as the advocate-on-record, representing the Board through its General Secretary Maulana Fazlur Raheem Mujaddidi.
