Supreme Court to Hear Record Number of Petitions Challenging Waqf Amendment Law

In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India is set to hear nearly 70 petitions challenging the recently enacted Waqf Amendment Law—a record number of pleas on a single legislation. The petitions, scheduled for listing on Wednesday, have drawn nationwide attention, with a broad coalition of political parties and civil society organizations questioning the constitutional validity of the new statute.

The first legal challenge was filed by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi shortly after the President of India assented to the law. He was soon joined by Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan. A diverse range of petitioners have since approached the apex court, including the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s Arshad Madani, Congress leaders Imran Masood and Udit Raj, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, TMC’s Mahua Moitra, the Indian Union Muslim League, the Communist Party of India, Mohammad Salim of the CPI(M), Shia cleric Syed Kalbe Jawad Naqvi, Anjuman-E-Islam, and advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, among others.

Despite the mounting legal opposition, the Union Government remains firm in its stance. Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, expressed confidence that the judiciary would refrain from interfering with what he described as a legislative prerogative. He emphasized the importance of mutual respect between the legislature and the judiciary in a constitutional democracy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at a public event in Haryana earlier this week, offered a robust defence of the amended legislation. Calling the new law a manifestation of “real social justice,” the Prime Minister said it seeks to restore the original spirit of Waqf while safeguarding the rights of marginalized sections within the Muslim community—particularly Pasmanda families, women, widows, and children.

“The revised Waqf law ensures that the land and property of Dalits, tribals, backward communities, and widows are no longer susceptible to encroachment or exploitation,” Modi stated. He further accused the previous UPA government’s 2013 amendments of having facilitated the illegal appropriation of land by vested interests, claiming it had empowered land mafias at the expense of the underprivileged.

One of the critical provisions of the new law, the Prime Minister noted, is the explicit protection of tribal lands from Waqf Board claims. “No Waqf Board, under this new framework, will have the authority to lay claim to any tribal land, home, or property across the country,” he said. Modi argued that the earlier provisions had placed the Waqf law above the Constitution, a flaw the new law corrects in accordance with the ideals of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and constitutional equality.

As the legal battle unfolds in the Supreme Court, the coming weeks are likely to witness intense judicial scrutiny over the balance between legislative reform and constitutional safeguards—a matter that could have far-reaching implications for property rights, minority protections, and the interpretation of secular governance in India.