The Supreme Court on Monday deferred the hearing on multiple petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act to May 15. The postponement came after the current bench noted it had not yet fully examined the Centre’s affidavit on the matter.
CJI Khanna noted he had briefly reviewed the Centre’s response and counter-arguments from the petitioners but had not gotten into the details. The court further stated that only five petitions would be taken up in the next hearing, declining to accept additional filings on the same issue for the time being. “We can’t handle hundreds of petitions on the same matter,” the bench stated.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, received presidential assent on April 5 and was subsequently notified by the Centre. It had passed the Lok Sabha with 288 votes in favor and 232 against, and cleared the Rajya Sabha with 128 votes supporting and 95 opposing it. The law faces legal challenges from a coalition of opposition parties including the DMK, YSRCP, AIMIM, Left parties, as well as civil society groups and Muslim organizations.
