Several petitioners who moved to the Supreme Court and challenged the Waqf Act said it is against the Muslim community and infringed upon their fundamental rights.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and popular actor Vijay approached the Supreme Court, challenging the recently formed Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. After President Droupadi Murmu’s assent on April 5, the Waqf Bill was enacted. Soon after, several opposition parties moved to the Supreme Court, and nationwide protests are ongoing against the Act.
Petitions filed in the court state that the Act was discriminatory towards the Muslim community and violated their fundamental rights.
Opposition against the Waqf Amendment Act
Several prominent political leaders, parties, and organisations have moved the court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Among them are All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress MPs Mohammad Jawed and Imran Pratapgarhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan, and Azad Samaj Party chief and MP Chandra Shekhar Azad.
Others include Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Zia Ur Rehman Barq; Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind; and the Sunni scholars’ body based in Kerala, Samastha Kerala Jamiatul Ulema. The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and the NGO Association for Protection of Civil Rights have also joined the legal challenge.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has filed a petition as well, arguing that the amendments are “arbitrary, discriminatory, and exclusionary.”
Rajya Sabha MPs Manoj Jha and Faiyaz Ahmad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), along with RJD MLA from Bihar Muhammad Izhar Asfi, have also challenged the legislation, raising concerns over what they describe as increased government interference in Muslim religious endowments.
Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has added its voice to the opposition. DMK MP A Raja, who was part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill, has approached the Supreme Court against the amended law.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on April 4 with 128 votes in favour and 95 against. The Lok Sabha had earlier cleared the Bill following a lengthy debate, with 288 members voting in favour and 232 opposing it.
(ANI inputs)
