• By Shibra Siddiqui
  • Mon, 05 May 2025 02:57 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a hearing of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf Amendment Act for May 15. A bench led by Justice BR Gavai will preside over the hearing. Originally, the hearing was scheduled on Monday.

The Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, said that the court will not issue an interim order in the case, and a full hearing is needed later. CJI Khanna said, “we have not very deeply gone into the counter affidavit. Yes, you have raised certain points in regards to registration and have given some disputed figures that will require some consideration.”

CJI Khanna, who retires on May 13, says he does not want to reserve order on pleas challenging the validity of the law.

A slew of petitions were filed against the Waqf Amendment Act, however court picked five lead petitions from the over 150 and named them as 'In Re: The Waqf Amendment Act' to limit the number of advocates who could argue for the petitioners.

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In the last hearing on April 17, the centre assured the top court that it will neither denotify waqf properties, including “waqf by user”, nor make any appointments to the Central Waqf Council and boards till May 5.

The top court had recorded the centre’s assurance, submitted by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and sought not to order express stay. It then directed the Centre a week to file a preliminary response to the pleas challenging the validity of the law and posted the matter on May 5.

The petitions argued that the amended act amounts to discrimination against muslims and interferes with Islamic religious affairs and the management of waqf properties.Six states ruled by the Bhartiya Janata Party also approached the Supreme Court in support of the amended Waqf Act. 

The new law amended the Waqf Act, 1995, to address the regulation of Waqf properties, dedicated exclusively for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law.

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