In a significant development, the Union government informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that it would not proceed, for the time being, with the implementation of controversial provisions under the new Waqf Amendment Act, 2025. These include the appointment of non-Muslims to Waqf Boards and the Central Waqf Council, and the de-notification of properties already declared as waqf by court orders or government notifications.
The Supreme Court granted the Union seven days to submit a formal reply to the petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the new waqf law. The petitioners will then have five days to respond to the Centre’s affidavit.
“During the course of the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that the respondents would file a short reply within seven days. He also assured the Court that until the next hearing, no appointments will be made to Waqf Boards or Councils under the 2025 Act. Additionally, the status of properties already declared waqf—whether by notification, gazette, or waqf by usage—will remain unchanged,” noted the bench in its order.
However, Mehta also expressed strong opposition to an immediate stay on the Act’s provisions, stating that such a move would be an extreme measure.
The top court scheduled the next hearing for May 5, 2025, and clarified that it would only consider five select petitions out of the more than 70 currently pending. The court also ruled that the case will be referred to as In Re: Waqf Amendment Act, moving away from titles linked to individual petitioners.
The bench emphasized that the upcoming hearing will primarily address directions and interim reliefs, if any.
