Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament and President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim decision on the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, calling the new law “unconstitutional.”
Speaking to ANI, Owaisi said, “We consider this Act unconstitutional. The court has said that the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Council will not be constituted till the next hearing, and ‘waqf by user’ cannot be deleted.”
The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan, put a partial stay on the implementation of the Waqf law and extracted a key assurance from the Union government: no appointments of non-Muslims to Waqf Councils or Boards and no de-notification of ‘waqf by user’ or ‘waqf by deed’ properties until the matter is heard again on May 5.
Owaisi stressed that the legal battle is far from over. “During the deliberations of the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee), I gave a report opposing all amendments proposed by the government and raised the same during the debate on the bill,” he said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025—which came into effect on April 8 after receiving the President’s assent—has drawn strong criticism from Muslim groups and political leaders who fear it undermines the traditional and religious nature of Waqf institutions.
In court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the bench that the Centre would not implement contentious provisions for now. The government has been given seven days to submit its response, while the petitioners may file rejoinders five days later.
For now, the Supreme Court’s interim relief has preserved the status quo on Waqf properties—a move welcomed by many who see the new law as a threat to religious rights and community ownership.
