Waqf Amendment Act 2025 Hearing News Highlights: Decision of Parliament Upheld,’ says Kiren Rijiju, praises SC verdict on Waqf Amendment Act

SC Verdict On Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: The bench stated that the provision will stay on hold until states form rules on determining whether a person is a practitioner of Islam.

Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: The Supreme Court of India Monday put on hold the operation of two crucial provisions in the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, however, stated that the entire law can be stayed in “rarest of rare” cases only. It stayed the provision within the Act that required a person to be a practitioner of Islam for five years to create a Waqf, even as it restricted the number of non-Muslims in state waqf boards and central waqf council to three.

The bench stated that the provision will stay on hold until states form rules on determining whether a person is a practitioner of Islam. The apex court refused to stay the entire provisions of the Act, however, pointed out that some sections need some protection. “We have considered prima facie challenge to each of the sections and found no case was made out to stay entire statute… We have held that presumption is always in favour of constitutionality of statute,” the court stated.

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The 2025 Act was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 2 and cleared the House the same day with 288 MPs of the BJP and its allies supporting the Bill, while 232 voted against it. A day later, it was passed in the Upper House following a 14-hour debate but with a much thinner majority. While 128 MPs voted in favour of the Bill, 95 voted against it.

Live Updates
18:25 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Hope SC would soon pass final order on waqf law itself: Owaisi

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said the Supreme Court has only given an interim order on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 and hoped that the apex court would soon pass its verdict on the whole legislation itself.

"The finality of the act has not been decided. It's only an interim order. Let us hope they quickly decide the whole issue of the act itself," he told reporters here.

The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold a few key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including a clause that only those practising Islam for the last five years could create Waqf, but refused to stay the entire law outlining the presumption of constitutionality in its favour.

"Presumption is always in favour of constitutionality of a statute and intervention (can be done) only in the rarest of rare cases," a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said in its 128-page interim order on the contentious issue.

PTI

17:37 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
SC ruling on Waqf Act: Slap on arrogance of BJP-led Centre, says Cong's Naseem Khan

Maharashtra Congress leader Naseem Khan on Monday termed the Supreme Court's interim order staying several provisions of the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 as a "slap on the arrogance" of the BJP-led Union government.

The Supreme Court put on hold several key provisions, including the clause that only those practising Islam for the last five years can dedicate a property as waqf, but refused to stay the entire law.

The apex court also pressed pause on the powers given to a Collector to adjudicate the status of waqf properties and ruled on the contentious issue of non-Muslim participation in Waqf Boards, directing that the Central Waqf Council should not have more than four non-Muslim members out of 20, and State Waqf Boards not more than three of 11.

The ruling party believed its brute majority allowed it to bulldoze the Parliament, Khan, a Congress Working Committee member and former Maharashtra minister, said in a statement.

PTI

17:09 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Muslim bodies welcome SC stay on key provisions of Waqf law, expect 'complete justice' going ahead

Prominent Muslim bodies on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court judgement putting on hold several key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, saying they are hopeful of getting "complete justice" in the matter once the final judgement is pronounced.

Both the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) termed the order a welcome step, even as the former said it expected the top court to stay the entire law, and not just certain key provisions.

Speaking to PTI, Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali, an executive member of AIMPLB, said, “Muslims and the AIMPLB wanted a stay on the entire Waqf (Amendment) Act, which the Supreme Court refused. The court said the stay cannot be imposed on the entire Waqf law, but it put on hold certain provisions, which is a welcome step. We have got significant relief and hope to get complete relief when the final judgement comes.” He added that the apex court has also directed that efforts should be made to appoint the CEO, who is also the ex-officio secretary of the Waqf board, from the Muslim community, which is a relief.

“This has given significant relief. However, the issue of non-Muslim members (in the board) is still there. The Constitution gives freedom of religion to all Indians, and Waqf is an integral part of Islam,” Mahali said.

PTI

16:44 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: 'Communal attack on constitutional reform' Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slams Oppn on Waqf issue

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday defended the controversial amendments to the Waqf Act, calling them a “historic reform” in the administration of waqf properties and slamming the Opposition for launching what he termed a communal attack on constitutional reforms. Responding to criticism after the Supreme Court put on hold certain provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, Naqvi said the law was passed after “extensive deliberation and debate” in both Houses of Parliament and was aimed at protecting religious faith while ensuring accountability. Rejecting claims that the amendments interfered with religious practice, he accused critics of treating land laws as if they were “words written in a heavenly book” only to gain a “legal licence to loot.”

The remarks came after a bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai ordered an interim pause on some contentious provisions, including the clause mandating that only those practising Islam for the last five years could dedicate property as waqf. The court also restricted the powers of Collectors in adjudicating waqf property disputes and capped non-Muslim participation in Waqf Boards—allowing no more than four members in the Central Waqf Council and three in State Boards. However, the bench declined to stay the entire law, observing that the “presumption is always in favour of constitutionality” and intervention is warranted only in the “rarest of rare cases.” The Centre had notified the amended Act on April 8, days after it received President Droupadi Murmu’s assent. (PTI)

16:04 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: Congress hails SC order on Waqf as win for constitutional values

The Congress on Monday hailed the Supreme Court’s interim order staying several contentious provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, calling it a victory for constitutional values and minority rights. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the ruling reaffirmed the apex court’s resolve “to protect the rights of minorities,” while accusing the BJP of pushing a “divisive law, designed solely to inflame communal passions.” The court pressed pause on the powers given to Collectors to adjudicate waqf property disputes and stayed the clause that required proof of practising Islam for five years to dedicate property as waqf.

Senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Syed Naseer Hussain argued that the order vindicated their long-standing objections, noting it protected existing waqf properties from “dubious challenges” and struck a balance between reform and representation. “Today’s ruling vindicates our stand that any reform must be transparent, consultative, and faithful to the Constitution of India,” Hussain said, while Ramesh stressed that the interim relief went a long way towards undoing the “mischievous intentions” of the statute. The Supreme Court, however, declined to stay the entire law, reiterating that the “presumption is always in favour of constitutionality of a statute.” (PTI)

14:07 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: Opposition’s objections

A united INDIA bloc opposed the Bill, with its leaders stating their arguments.

Gaurav Gogoi (Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha): He termed the Bill “an attack on Parliament and the Constitution. “The government has four key objectives behind introducing the Bill and all are targeting the Muslim community.”

Asaduddin Owaisi (Hyderabad MP and AIMIM leader): Tore a copy of the Bill in protest and said it violated Article 26 of the Constitution. “If the amendment comes into effect, only ancient temples will be protected, not mosques. I tear this law. It is an unconstitutional law,” he said.

Imran Masood (Congress MP): Saying that the Bill “completely undermined Right to Equality” and infringed upon religious freedom, he questioned the definition of a “practising Muslim”. “What is your definition? All Muslims do not offer namaz five times, all Muslims do not observe roza,” he said.

Other MPs from DMK, TMC, AAP, RJD, Left parties and YSRCP also opposed the Bill.

The Bill was also debated in the Rajya Sabha, where Opposition MPs again pressed for amendments. The Congress, DMK, CPI(M), TMC, RJD, AAP, BRS, and YSRCP all opposed the Bill, arguing that it centralised control and undermined minority autonomy.

All amendments were defeated, and the NDA, with the crucial support of its two largest allies — the JD(U) and the TDP — and other NDA partners, secured the Bill’s passage.

13:38 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: The government’s stand

Defending the need to amend the 1995 law, BJP leaders told the Lok Sabha:

Amit Shah (Union Home Minister): He said the Bill would not have a retrospective effect. “It clearly states that the law will come into effect after the notification is issued.”

Jagadamika Pal (BJP MP and JPC chairperson): Saying there was nothing unconstitutional about the Bill, he said, “Poor Muslims, Pasmandas and widows will be benefited… The way the Triple Talaq Bill benefited (Muslims), when the new Waqf Bill comes, it will also lead to benefits… If there is a mosque or Idgah somewhere, it will remain in Waqf.”

Kiren Rijiju (Minority Affairs Minister): He said the words Constitutional and unconstitutional should not be used lightly and threw light on the JPC’s working.

“A total of 284 delegations have put forward their views and suggestions. Waqf Boards of 25 state governments have submitted their representations, along with legal luminaries, scholars and community leaders.”

13:37 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: What changes does the Bill bring in?

The 2025 law makes some key and contentious amendments to the 1995 Waqf Act, including giving the Centre enhanced oversight of state Waqf Boards, mandating digitisation and GIS mapping of all Waqf properties, providing for women and non-Muslim representation on Waqf Boards, and imposing stricter rules against leasing or selling Waqf land at undervalued rates.

Currently, there are around 8.8 lakh Waqf properties, of which around 73,000 are in dispute.

13:28 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: 'Decision of Parliament upheld', says Kiren Rijiju

Responding positively to the SC judgement on Waqf Amendment Act, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "I welcome the order passed by the Supreme Court today after a full hearing on the Waqf Amendment Act. The Supreme Court knows the entire subject. "

" I am satisfied with the judgment of the Supreme Court, and because it is the highest court of the country, whenever any decision comes from the Supreme Court, it has an impact, and in a way, the decision of the Parliament of India has been upheld. We will see the case of a practising Muslim and what should be included in the rules..."

#watch | Mumbai: On SC's order in the Waqf Amendment Act, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju says, "I welcome the order passed by the Supreme Court today after a full hearing on the Waqf Amendment Act. The Supreme Court knows the entire subject. The case was presented in great detail.… pic.twitter.com/te4kVt39HW
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2025
13:08 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: When was the act introduced?

The legislation, which was first introduced in 2024 and subsequently sent to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) headed by BJP MP Jagadambika Pal, has sparked some of the fiercest parliamentary debates in recent years and triggered widespread protests across the country.

The JPC meetings too were stormy with Opposition MPs boycotting a few sittings. The panel submitting its report also led to a furore after Opposition members alleged that the amendments suggested by them were not incorporated into the Bill.

The 2025 Act was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 2 and cleared the House the same day with 288 MPs of the BJP and its allies supporting the Bill, while 232 voted against it.

A day later, it was passed in the Upper House following a 14-hour debate but with a much thinner majority. While 128 MPs voted in favour of the Bill, 95 voted against it. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Bill in mid-April and since then, the law has been notified in many BJP-ruled states, while Opposition-ruled states have resisted its implementation.

12:32 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: SC on Waqf Ammendment Act

The court passed the order after hearing petitions filed by several Opposition parties, including the RJD and the AAP, a non-aligned party such as the YSR Congress Party, and several Muslim organisations, all of whom have argued that the Act violates Constitutional guarantees of minority rights. The Centre, on the other hand, defended it as a necessary measure to bring accountability and transparency in the management of Waqf properties.

11:52 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: Supreme Court stays provision requiring 5 years of Islamic practice to create waqf

The court said the provision in Section 3(1)(r) that a person has to be practising Muslim for five years to create a waqf “shall remain stayed till rules are framed by the state for providing a mechanism for determining the question as to whether a person has been practising Islam for at least 5 years or not.” “In the absence of such a mechanism, it can lead to arbitrary exercise of power.”

11:50 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Waqf Amendment Act 2025 News LIVE Updates: 'Certain sections need protection', says bench

A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and A G Masih said, “We have gone to legislative history right from the 1923 Act up till now and considered a prima facie challenge to each of the sections. After hearing parties, we have held that the case was not made out to stay the entire statute. However, certain sections which are challenged need some protection.”

Reading out the interim order, CJI Gavai said, “The requirement for registration was there from 1995 till 2013. It was taken away in 2013; therefore, there is nothing new.”

11:31 (IST) 15 Sep 2025
Supreme Court stays provision requiring 5 years of Islamic practice to create waqf

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, provision requiring registration of Waqf by user, but paused the clause that states a person must be a practitioner of Islam for five years to create a Waqf until state governments frame relevant rules.

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