The Supreme Court of India.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Several BJP-ruled states including Madhya Pradesh and Assam have approached the Supreme Court supporting the constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The states– Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Assam– have filed separate pleas highlighting the potential administrative and legal ramifications if the Waqf (Amendment) Act is struck down or altered.
Haryana, which has filed the intervention in the lead petition, said the proposed amendments under the amendment Act aim at bringing about a transformational shift in the administration of Waqf properties by ensuring better governance, transparency and accountability.
“It is pertinent to highlight that one of the key objectives of the Amendment Act is to ensure unified Waqf management by addressing persistent challenges such as the incomplete survey of Waqf properties, improper accounting, significant pendency of litigation in Waqf tribunals and boards and irregular or missing mutation of Waqf properties, auditing practices by Mutawallis etc,” its application said.
The Rajasthan government raised concerns over past practices where properties, whether privately owned or held by the state, were being declared Waqf assets without due process.
The Maharashtra government asserted that it is crucial to assist the top court by providing parliamentary records and recommendations, ground realities gathered from nationwide consultation, comparative frameworks of religious endowment laws in India and empirical data on misuse and lack of transparency in Waqf administration.
The Madhya Pradesh government said the Waqf law aims to bring about significant reforms in the governance and regulation of Waqf properties.
The Assam government drew attention to Section 3E of the amended Act, which bars any declaration of land in Scheduled or Tribal Areas– covered under the Fifth or Sixth Schedule of the Constitution– as Waqf property.
The Chhattisgarh government emphasised the importance of simplifying administrative procedures and improving coordination between Waqf boards and local authorities.
About 100 petitions have been filed challenging the validity of the amendment.