Waqf Act: All India Muslim Personal Law Board accuses Centre of submitting false claims in SC
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has opposed the Centre’s contention that waqf properties registered a “shocking” 116% increase after 2013, claiming that the statement was “unsupported” and “conceals material facts”, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.
Responding to the Centre’s preliminary affidavit to petitions challenging the 2025 Waqf Amendment Act, the board in a rejoinder affidavit submitted on Thursday accused it of making “false” claims to “mislead” the court.
The amendments to the Act seek “to impose its own subjective understanding about essentials of Islam upon the believers of Islam”, the board said in its rejoinder, adding that the amended legislation brought “self-administration under the Waqf Act to a grinding halt”.
A waqf is an endowment under Islamic law dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.
The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill proposed amendments to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function. The Act was last amended in 2013.
The bill was cleared by Parliament on April 4. It received presidential assent on April 5 and took effect on April 8.
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