New Delhi: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (Mahmood Madani faction) has voiced strong concern over the Supreme Court’s interim order on the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Its president, Maulana Mahmood Madani, said the ruling endangered the status of mosques and graveyards across India.
Madani highlighted that the court’s observations on “Waqf by User” were alarming. He said Jamiat and other petitioners had already pointed out flaws in the law, such as the extraordinary powers given to district collectors and the scrapping of Waqf Tribunals. While he welcomed the stay on these provisions, he said the core issue of “Waqf by User” remained unsettled.
Citing official figures, Madani said there are over 4 lakh waqf properties in India listed under “Waqf by User.” These include around 1.2 lakh mosques and 1.5 lakh graveyards. Over 80 percent are still unregistered. He argued that abolishing this doctrine, while exempting only already registered sites, offered no real protection.
Madani warned that discarding “Waqf by User” was equivalent to rejecting Islamic legal tradition and undermining the right to religious freedom. “Waqf is a matter of faith. No law should dilute its character,” he stressed.
He also criticised the court’s remark that unregistered waqf properties could not raise grievances since registration rules existed since 1923. According to him, such views exposed thousands of mosques and graveyards to risk.
The Jamiat chief assured that his organisation, with legal and community support, would continue to fight for constitutional and religious rights.
