Congress MP moves SC against Waqf Bill hours after Parliament clears it

Indian National Congress MP challenges Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Supreme Court, arguing it undermines Muslim community's religious autonomy and rights.

Congress MP Mohammed Jawed challenged the Waqf (Amendment) Bill of 2025 in the Supreme Court on Friday (April 4, 2025), hours after the proposed law was cleared by the Parliament after a prolonged deliberation in the Rajya Sabha.

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Mr. Jawed, who was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said the provisions of the law imposed “arbitrary restrictions on Waqf properties and their management, thereby undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community”.

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“The amendments undermine property rights protected under Article 300A. By expanding state control over waqf assets, limiting the ability of individuals to dedicate property for religious purposes, and subjecting Waqf properties to heightened scrutiny, the Act goes against the Supreme Court’s judgment that transferring control of religious property to secular authorities is an infringement of religious and property rights,” the petition contended.

It submitted that the provisions of the proposed law discriminated against Muslims by imposing restrictions which were not part of the governance of other religious endowments.

“For instance, while Hindu and Sikh religious trusts continue to enjoy a degree of self-regulation, the amendments to the Wakf Act, 1995 disproportionately increases state intervention in Waqf affairs,” the Lok Sabha MP from Kishanganj constituency in Bihar said.