Waqf Amendment Act SC Hearing Highlights: SC maintains status quo on Waqf properties, no appointment of council

The Calcutta High Court intervened on Thursday in the recent violence in West Bengal, particularly in Murshidabad, which was sparked by protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

It stated that central forces will remain in Murshidabad for some time to maintain law and order and said that the court will monitor the restoration and rehabilitation of victims and ordered officials from BJP, TMC, and others not to make provocative speeches that could escalate tensions.

A delegation of the Dawoodi Bohra community met PM Modi today to thank him for the Waqf Amendment Act. They said it was a long-pending demand of the community. They reposed faith in PM’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi reiterated his concerns about the Act on Thursday following the SC order. He welcomed the apex court’s observation that the Central and State Waqf Councils would not be reconstituted for now, and that properties identified as Waqf by user or declaration would not be de-notified.

Several Opposition leaders have hailed the Supreme Court announcements on Thursday — with AAP leader Amanatullah Khan hailing the ‘historic decision in our favour’.

“We are happy that the court has stayed the appointment as of now and there will be no changes Waqf properties and the stakeholders… We hope that like one week’s time was asked by the Union government, we will also be given 5 days’ time. We hope that the final verdict will be in our favour, halting the efforts to hamper our rights… As of now, the stay has been ordered on two main points…” added SP MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq.

The Supreme Court has asked the Central government to file its response to a clutch of petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act within a week. The Centre has also assured the apex court that no new appointments will be made to the Central Waqf Council and state boards during this time. The Supreme Court further decreed that properties registered under the 1995 Act will remain protected.

“We had said there were some positive things in the law. We have stated that there cannot be a complete stay. But we also don’t want the situation to change which is prevailing now.. so that it affects.. like the 5 years following islam one.. we are not staying that… But some…When the matter is pending before the court, we have to ensure that the situation as it exists now is not disturbed.” he said.

“No appointment of board or council can take place. And if registration has taken place under the 1995 Act, then those properties cannot be disturbed. We are saying the executive decides and the judiciary adjudicates,” reports quoted the Chief Justice as saying.

SC orders no change in existing Waqf assets that are already registered

Non-Muslims not to be appointed in Waqf Board: Centre

CJI says, “We clarify that the next hearing will be limited to preliminary objections and directions on the interim order. The matter shall be listed as In Re: Waqf Amendment Act, Petitions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.”

During the course of the Waqf hearing, the Solicitor General stated that the Union would like to file a response within seven days. He further assured the Court that no appointments will be made to the Council and Board under Sections 9 and 14.

Additionally, until the next date of hearing, no Waqf — including Waqf by user already registered or declared by notification — shall be denotified, nor will any changes be made by the Collector. The Court took the statement on record.

SC doesn’t stay Waqf Law in today’s hearing.

SC interim order: No changes to existing Waqf. SC grants one -week time to government to file detailed reply.

No new appointments to Waqf Board

Supreme Court says that when the matter is pending before the court, the court has to ensure that the situation, as it exists now, is not disturbed. Solicitor General seeks one week time from the court to place some documents and assures that no appointment of Board or Council will take place.

Supreme Court says it had said there were some positive things in the law and that there cannot be a complete stay in the Act. Supreme Court says it also doesn’t want the situation to change which is prevailing now.

Centre seeks one week time time to file detailed reply.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Central government says, “I am respectfully urging, the questions are pertinent but the difficulty is, I am putting is candidly, there are not issues mylords consider staying on prima facie reading of some provisions, Mylords have to consider the history…we as Gov are answerable to people. Villages and villages are taken as waqf. It is a considered piece of legislation. Petitions were filed before assent.”

The Supreme Court begins hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

“There is tension across the country, because of the way the Waqf (Amendment) bill was passed. Yesterday, the comments made by Chief Justice were a slap on central government’s face. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Ji also put the same points in Parliament. 90 per cent of land is Waqf by users, and those are graveyards, schools, colleges, Islamic schools, and mosques. BJP has an eye on those lands and wants to acquire them. UP CM even ordered the DM regarding this via video conferencing. We are hoping that we will get relief through the Supreme Court’s decision.”

On Supreme Court hearing pleas against the Centre’s Waqf (Amendment) Act; BJP leader & Chairperson of J&K Waqf Board, Dr Darakhshan Andrabi, says, “In our democracy, the doors of Supreme Court are open for everyone… No one can stop the implementation of the things that have been passed in the parliament, but the doors are open for everyone…’

TMC MP Mahua Moitra shares most ‘relevant questions in Modi’s India’.

The Supreme Court Bar Association has urged the Supreme Court to live-stream the proceedings in the petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025.

All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) General Secretary Maulana Yasoob Abbas on Thursday expressed confidence in the Supreme Court amid hearings on the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. Speaking to ANI, he said the Court’s observations have renewed public faith in the judiciary.

Emphasising the importance of resolving issues within the constitutional framework, Maulana Abbas urged citizens to uphold unity and avoid actions that could disrupt national peace. “The way the Court heard the case yesterday has raised our hopes,” he said, adding that justice from the judiciary is vital for maintaining social harmony and protecting constitutional rights.

Muslim cleric Chaudhary Ifraheem Husain on Thursday criticised the opposition’s petitions against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, calling them misleading and an attempt to waste the Supreme Court’s time. He stated that the Act was passed with full constitutional approval — by both Houses of Parliament and the President — and opposition leaders were undermining this democratic process. Husain accused them of ignoring their own failures and land-related controversies while creating obstacles for a bill meant to benefit the poor. He expressed hope the court would reject these petitions and hold the opposition accountable for delaying proceedings.

The Supreme Court is expected to pass an interim order on Thursday regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, after hearing multiple petitions challenging and defending the law.

Key provisions under review

The court indicated it may stay contentious provisions, including the inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf bodies, enhanced powers of Collectors in property disputes, and rules for de-notifying Waqf properties.

Centre seeks more time

Before the order was dictated, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and other counsels urged the court to hear them first. A three-judge bench resumes the hearing at 2 pm today.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that including non-Muslims in the Waqf Council violates Article 26, which protects religious freedoms. He contended that several provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act infringe upon essential aspects of the Muslim faith. Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna, addressing the issue of “waqf by user,” clarified that not all such properties are wrongly registered.

Advocate Abhishek Singhvi added that the amendment risks undermining legal precedents like the Ayodhya verdict. Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the law, noting it was vetted by a joint parliamentary committee and both Houses of Parliament.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the RSS and BJP of using the Waqf (Amendment) Act for political gain, calling the law unconstitutional and discriminatory. Vijayan alleged that the RSS openly views minorities as internal enemies — a sentiment reflected in a recent article in Organiser, its mouthpiece.

Referring to the Munambam issue, Vijayan emphasised that the local community’s primary demand is to stay in their homes, and the state government had commissioned a study to address their concerns. However, attempts were made to exploit this situation by linking it to the Waqf amendment.

Vijayan criticised the Sangh Parivar for misleadingly projecting the amendment as a solution to Munambam’s problems, calling it a “complete fraud.” He accused the BJP of communal politics and said Union Minister Kiran Rijiju’s recent comments in Kochi inadvertently exposed the Centre’s anti-minority stance.

Leaders of NDA allies in Bihar sharply criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday for her comments targeting Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.

Banerjee questions NDA silence

While addressing Muslim religious leaders in Kolkata, Banerjee questioned the silence of Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the controversial Waqf Act. “They remained silent just to hold onto power,” she alleged.

Bihar leaders respond

Union minister Giriraj Singh, reacting from Patna, accused Banerjee of trying to turn West Bengal into Bangladesh and said she had no right to comment on Nitish Kumar. JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad defended Kumar, pointing to Bihar’s record of peace and communal harmony, while criticising the law-and-order situation in West Bengal. “She should worry about Murshidabad, not Bihar,” he added.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a sharp, indirect attack against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing them of being “against Muslims” domestically while accepting hospitality in Muslim-majority West Asian nations.

“Double standards,” says Banerjee

“You are against Muslims, but in Saudi Arabia, you meet Muslims… If you go to Dubai, UAE, whose hospitality do you take there? You say one thing in your country and another outside,” Banerjee said, addressing a gathering of Muslim clerics.

Calls for INDIA bloc unity

The Chief Minister also issued a call for solidarity within the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, urging all parties to unite against the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 — legislation that has triggered widespread protests and legal challenges.

“I will appeal to the INDIA bloc: let us stay united and fight together courageously. This is not a personal issue; it affects everyone. Today it’s you, tomorrow it could be someone else,” Banerjee warned.

Raises concerns over UCC

Banerjee further cautioned about the Centre’s potential push for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), suggesting it could be the next step in a series of contentious moves.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra took to X (formerly Twitter) to share key developments from the ongoing Supreme Court hearing on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

Moitra posted that the apex court has proposed passing an interim order with significant directives. Firstly, it suggested that existing properties declared as waqf — whether through waqf-by-user or waqf by deed — should not be de-notified. Secondly, the court proposed that the proviso in the Amendment Act, which states a waqf property won’t be treated as such while the Collector conducts an inquiry into whether its government land, should not be enforced.

Lastly, the court stated that all members of Waqf Boards and the Central Waqf Council must be Muslims, except for ex-officio members. The Supreme Court’s observations and these proposed interim measures have sparked intense political and legal debate around religious property rights and governance in the country.

The Supreme Court will continue hearing on pleas challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 at 2 p.m. on April 17.