Kashmir Pen News Bureau | New Delhi | April 17:
In a significant development during the ongoing legal scrutiny of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, the Union government on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that no waqf properties across the country will be denotified until the next hearing scheduled for May 5.
Representing the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the apex court that the government will, for the time being, refrain from implementing controversial provisions of the amended Act. These include the contentious clauses that allow the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Central Waqf Council and state-level Waqf boards—a move that has drawn sharp criticism from multiple quarters.
The assurance came during a hearing before a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan.
The hearing follows mounting backlash from opposition leaders, rights groups, and constitutional scholars who have denounced the Act as a violation of Article 26 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to manage religious affairs. Critics have also raised concerns over the hasty manner in which the legislation was passed in Parliament without adequate public consultation.
The fallout of the Act’s implementation has already been felt in parts of the country, with reports of communal tensions and violence, including incidents in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.
