AIMIM MP Owaisi moves Supreme Court challenging Waqf Amendment Bill

New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday approached the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025.
The Bill passed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha now awaits President Droupadi Murmu's assent to become an Act.
Earlier today, Congress leader Mohammad Jawed also challenged the Bill in the Supreme Court.
Owaisi in his plea stated that the amended Bill "irreversibly dilute" the statutory protections afforded to Waqfs and their regulatory framework while conferring undue advantage upon other stakeholders and interest groups, undermining years of progress and setting back Waqf management by several decades.
"Amendment Bill also takes away from Waqfs various protections which were accorded to Waqfs and Hindu, Jain, and Sikh religious and charitable endowments alike. 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 violates Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religion," the plea stated.
The amendments are also repugnant to the doctrine of non-retrogression of rights, which is firmly entrenched in our constitutional jurisprudence, it added.
"These amendments diminish community representation and increase susceptibility to external and executive interference, further eroding the democratic functioning of these Boards and undermining the self-governing rights of Muslims over their Waqf properties," the petition further stated.
In the early hours of Friday, the Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 after a heated debate.
Lok Sabha, which took up discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday, passed it past midnight after a marathon debate.
The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India.
The Bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records. (ANI)