New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha earlier this week after marathon debates. Following her assent, the bill has now come into law.
The new law seeks to improve the management and administration of Waqf properties in India. It amended the Waqf Act of 1995 that governs the management of properties donated by Muslims, and was initially tabled in Parliament in August last year. However, amid fierce protests by the opposition and various Muslim outfits, the bill was sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
The amendment was introduced during the Budget session of Parliament on April 2 after months of discussions in the JPC headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal.
The Waqf Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in the wee hours of April 3 with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it following a 12-hour debate. The Rajya Sabha then cleared the bill early on April 4 with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it.
Opposition parties have criticised the new Waqf law, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory towards Muslims. However, the central government has maintained it was not an anti-Muslim measure and the new legislation was aimed at improving transparency in managing Waqf properties.
According to the new law, a maximum of four non-Muslim members, including two women members, must be there in the Waqf Council. Moreover, senior officers above the rank of district collectors will now have the final say if a property is Waqf or belongs to the government.
Some leaders from the opposition parties, including the Congress, AIMIM and AAP, have filed separate pleas challenging the new Waqf law in the Supreme Court. Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan filed the petitions in the Supreme Court, alleging that the bill was a “blatant violation of the fundamental rights of Muslims”.
The Waqf Bill – now an Act – has also triggered divisions within the ruling NDA, with five senior leaders of the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) resigning from the party on Friday. The resignations came ahead of the impending Assembly polls in Bihar, slated to be held by this year-end.
