The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which was passed by Parliament last week, has officially come into force from Tuesday, April 8, 2025. The Ministry of Minority Affairs, in a notification issued under sub-section (2) of Section 1 of the Act (14 of 2025), announced, “The Central Government hereby appoints the 8th day of April, 2025 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force.”
The bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha post-midnight on April 3 and April 4 respectively, and received presidential assent from President Droupadi Murmu on April 5. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) backed the legislation, the opposition INDIA bloc strongly opposed it.
Over 10 Petitions Challenge Waqf (Amendment) Act In SC, Govt Files Caveat
According to news agency PTI, over 10 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Act. Among the petitioners are several opposition MPs, Muslim organisations, and civil rights groups. The top court is likely to hear the batch of petitions on April 15 or 16, though the listing was not reflected on the apex court website at the time of reporting. Meanwhile, the Union government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, requesting that no orders be passed without hearing its side.
The law has drawn criticism from several quarters, including political leaders and Muslim bodies. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, and Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema are among the organisations that have moved the apex court.
Arshad Madani, the President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, took to X and wrote, "The petition filed against the Waqf Amendment Act will be heard in the Supreme Court on April 16. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, on behalf of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, had appealed for an early hearing of the case. The Waqf Act is a big threat to the Constitution, secularism and the unity and peace of the country. We are confident that we will get justice from the court in this case, because many sections of this law are not only against the Constitution of the country, but it also violates the fundamental and religious rights of the citizens.
"This law has been brought at a time when a storm of hatred is blowing against Muslims across the country. Many of our mosques and dargahs have already been targeted, and claims are being made that there are temples there. In such a situation, if this unconstitutional law is also implemented, then these unbridled communal forces will also get a basis to target our mosques, khanqahs, graveyards and Imambaras," he remarked.
In a press statement issued on April 6, AIMPLB spokesperson SQR Ilyas said their petition “strongly objected to the amendments passed by Parliament for being arbitrary, discriminatory and based on exclusion.” He added, “The amendments not only violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India but also clearly revealed the government’s intention to take complete control over the administration of Waqf, therefore, sidelining the Muslim minority from managing their own religious endowments.”
The plea by AIMPLB was settled by advocate M R Shamshad and filed through advocate-on-record Talha Abdul Rahman, representing the board’s General Secretary Maulana Fazlur Raheem Mujaddidi.
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, in its petition, termed the law a “dangerous conspiracy to strip Muslims of their religious freedom.” It claimed that the Act was a “direct attack on the country’s Constitution, which not only provides equal rights to its citizens but also grants them complete religious freedom.”
Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, a body of Sunni Muslim scholars in Kerala, alleged that the Act constituted a “blatant intrusion into the rights of a religious denomination to manage its own affairs in the matter of religion.”
Among the political leaders who have challenged the Act are Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP A Raja, Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Mohammad Jawed, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MPs Manoj Jha and Faiyaz Ahmad, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan.
In a press release, the DMK said, “Despite widespread opposition, the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 was passed by the union government without proper consideration of the objections raised by the members of the JPC and the other stakeholders.” The party added that the law’s immediate implementation “infringes and prejudices the rights of about 50 lakh Muslims in Tamil Nadu and 20 crore Muslims in the other parts of the country.”
Mohammad Jawed’s plea, filed through advocate Anas Tanwir, alleged that the law imposed “arbitrary restrictions” on Waqf properties and their management, undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community. Owaisi’s petition argued that the Act stripped Waqfs of protections still available to religious and charitable endowments of other faiths, calling it “hostile discrimination against Muslims” and violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan’s petition sought the law to be declared unconstitutional, citing violations of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 300-A of the Constitution. A petition was also filed by the NGO Association for the Protection of Civil Rights challenging the Act’s constitutional validity.
The Rajya Sabha had passed the bill with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, while the Lok Sabha cleared it with 288 members supporting and 232 opposing.