New Delhi: After MPs Mohammad Jawed of the Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi of the AIMIM, Amanatullah Khan, an MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken the legal route to challenge the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, passed by both houses of Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday. The Bill is now awaiting Presidential consent, before it becomes law.
Khan filed his petition before the Supreme Court on Saturday, claiming that the Bill aims to reduce the religious autonomy of Muslims. He has claimed that the government’s intervention undermines the rights of minorities to manage their institutions.
More petitions are likely to be filed before the Apex Court soon. This is an indication of what is in store when the Government tables the Bill for a Uniform Civil Code in the country. The Supreme Court, at the moment, is overwhelmed by petitions, both for and against the Places of Worship Act, 1991. So much so that the Court has refused to admit any more petitions in that matter.
The Supreme Court had also heard pleas against the revocation of Article 370 by the Government. After prolonged hearings, the Court had ruled that the abrogation of Article 370 is not illegal. It now remains to be seen what the judges say about the Waqf Amendment Bill.
The Government, on its part, claims that the Bill is based on solid reasoning and has nothing to do with the rights of minorities. Rather, the amendments have been brought about to protect the rights of Muslim windows, children and orphans for whose benefit the Waqf Act was originally formulated.
The Government also claims that several groups among the Muslims, such as the Shias, Bohras, Ahmadiyyas and Pasmandas, are in favour of the Amended Bill.
Khan has, however, challenged the constitutional validity of the Bill and stated that the Legislation violates multiple fundamental rights of citizens, including freedom of equality, managing religious affairs, and the rights of minorities.
“The Bill curtails the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims, enables arbitrary executive interference, and undermines the rights of minorities to manage their religious and charitable institutions,” his plea states.
Jawed, who was part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill, says the law discriminates against Muslims by imposing restrictions that are not present in the governance of other religious institutions.
Owaisi has claimed that one of the major concerns against the Bill is a provision for including non-Muslim members in Waqf councils and state boards. This isn’t the case with the Hindu Endowment Board or the Jain Endowment Board, he has argued, stating that the Legislation is a grave violation of the Constitution.
“The BJP is using its majority in Parliament, not to reform, but destroy and take away all the rights that Muslims have. Enacting such a law amounts to waging a wat against Muslims,” Owaisi told NDTV on Friday.
