A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan, is set to hear over 70 petitions today challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. A battery of senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Nizam Pasha, are scheduled to present arguments against the law on behalf of various petitioners.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal will represent Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, along with Advocate Zulfiqar Ali P.S., will appear for Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama. Nizam Pasha is slated to argue for AIMIM president and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who was among the first to challenge the amended law.
Other notable lawyers involved include:
- Advocate Anas Tanweer, appearing for Congress MP Mohammad Javed,
- Advocate Pradeep Yadav, representing Tayyab Ahmad Sulemani and Anjum Qadri,
- Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who has also challenged the Act.
The petitions allege that several provisions of the amended law — including the introduction of “Waqf by User” and mandatory periodic submission of documentary evidence — violate constitutional rights and undermine existing legal protections such as the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
Petitioners include individuals and organizations from Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities. Daya Singh, President of Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Gurgaon, has argued that the Act infringes on the Sikh practice of religious charitable donations.
Meanwhile, states including Chhattisgarh, Assam, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Rajasthan have sought to intervene in defense of the law, opposing claims that the amendments are unconstitutional. The Centre has also expressed confidence that the legislation, passed by Parliament, will be upheld.
The hearing is expected to be prolonged, given the large number of petitions and the wide-ranging constitutional issues involved.
