- By Shubham Bajpai
- Sat, 05 Apr 2025 04:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Waqf Amendment Bill: After the Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in both Houses of Parliament, a series of petitions challenging the legislation have started flooding the Supreme Court. In line with that, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan has filed a plea.
His petition comes after AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Congress challenged the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Supreme Court as a controversial legislation.
The new legislation, waiting for the President's assent to become a law, seeks to amend the 1995 law, which so far governs the Waqf properties.
In his plea, Khan has stated that the legislation will reduce the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims and that it undermines minorities' rights to manage their charitable and religious institutions.
Meanwhile, the government aggressively pushed the legislation, calling it historic. It has maintained its stance that the legislation has nothing to do with religion and is only concerned with the management of property.
The government has argued that the Bill, if it becomes an act, will bring transparency to the system.
As part of the amendments, the government has removed Section 40 and Waqf by user from the current legislation, which, according to the government, was misused to grab lands.
Nevertheless, Amanatullah has challenged the constitutional validity of the Bill, arguing that the legislation violates multiple fundamental rights of citizens, including freedom of equality, managing religious affairs, and the rights of minorities.
From Congress, Mohammad Jawed, who was part of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Waqf bill, has filed the petition and said that the law discriminates against Muslims by imposing restrictions that are not present in the governance of other religious institutions.
Similarly, Owaisi criticised the Bill and said that the provision of non-Muslim members in Waqf councils and boards is a grave violation of the Constitution.
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