Asia
Congress MP Jawed, AIMIM Chief Owaisi Move Supreme Court Against Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024
New Delhi, India – Hours after Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi separately moved the Supreme Court on Friday, challenging the bill’s constitutional validity. They argued that the legislation violated fundamental rights and imposed arbitrary restrictions on Waqf properties.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill in the early hours of Friday, with 128 members voting in favor and 95 opposing it. The Lok Sabha had cleared it a day earlier, with 288 votes in support and 232 against. The Bill now awaits President of India, Droupadi Murmu’s assent to become law.
Key Amendments in the Bill
The amended law stipulates that only self-owned properties can be declared as Waqf, after verifying inheritance rights of women and children. It also mandates that the District Collector (DC) must ensure that the land being donated as Waqf by a Muslim is legally owned by the donor.
Legal Challenge Against the Bill
Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, who represents Kishanganj, Bihar, and was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Bill, contended that the amendments undermine the religious autonomy of the Muslim community. He alleged that the new provisions discriminate against Waqf properties by imposing restrictions not applied to other religious endowments.
In a separate plea, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi argued that the bill dilutes protections given to Waqfs, as well as Hindu, Jain, and Sikh religious endowments. He claimed that while protections for other religious institutions remain intact, those for Waqfs have been reduced, which constitutes hostile discrimination against Muslims. Owaisi asserted that this violates Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which prohibit discrimination based on religion.
With legal challenges now before the Supreme Court, the fate of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, remains uncertain, even as political opposition against the legislation continues to grow.