6 BJP-Dominated States Transfer Supreme Court docket To Help New Waqf Legislation

New Delhi:

In a major improvement, six BJP-ruled states together with Madhya Pradesh and Assam have approached the Supreme Court docket to assist the constitutionality of the Waqf (Modification) Act, 2025.

A 3-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and Okay V Viswanathan is prone to hear at 2 pm a batch of petitions, together with the considered one of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, in opposition to the constitutional validity of the brand new Waqf legislation.

The six BJP-ruled states — Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Assam — have filed separate pleas highlighting the potential administrative and authorized ramifications if the Waqf (Modification) Act is struck down or altered.

Haryana, which has filed the intervention within the lead petition, emphasised the pressing want for reform within the administration of Waqf property.

The state authorities pointed to persistent points equivalent to incomplete property surveys, lack of correct accounting, long-pending instances in Waqf tribunals and irregular or lacking data of property mutations.

It stated the amended legislation seeks to carry a unified construction for Waqf administration and guarantee higher oversight of Mutawallis (custodians).

The Maharashtra authorities asserted that it’s essential to help the highest court docket by offering parliamentary data, committee suggestions and insights from nationwide consultations.

It additionally promised to share comparative frameworks of non secular endowment legal guidelines throughout India together with empirical knowledge highlighting misuse and lack of transparency within the Waqf administration.

In line with the plea by Madhya Pradesh, the Waqf legislation goals to result in vital reforms within the governance and regulation of Waqf properties.

The state emphasised that the legislation envisions a legally strong and technology-driven system that promotes transparency, accountability and socio-economic upliftment of supposed beneficiaries.

The Rajasthan authorities raised considerations over previous practices the place properties — whether or not privately owned or held by the state — have been being declared Waqf belongings with out due course of.

The brand new provisions, it stated, appropriate this by mandating a 90-day public discover in two broadly circulated newspapers earlier than any such declaration.

This transfer, Rajasthan contended, ensures transparency and procedural equity by giving affected stakeholders an opportunity to boost objections.

Chhattisgarh, in its plea, underlined the significance of simplifying administrative procedures and bettering coordination between Waqf boards and native authorities.

The creation of a digital portal for Waqf property administration, the state famous, will assist in higher monitoring, identification and auditing of belongings, finally strengthening transparency in monetary practices.

Assam’s plea drew consideration to Part 3E of the amended Act, which bars any declaration of land in Scheduled or Tribal Areas — lined underneath the Fifth or Sixth Schedule of the Structure — as Waqf property.

The state identified that eight of its 35 districts fall underneath the Sixth Schedule and, thus, it has a direct stake within the end result of the case.

The Uttarakhand Waqf Board, which has been supporting the Waqf (Modification) Act, has additionally submitted an utility within the Supreme Court docket in search of permission to intervene within the writ petition filed by Owaisi difficult the constitutional validity of the legislation.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)