Supreme Court Freezes Waqf Board Changes, Seeks Answers from Government
In a significant move, the Supreme Court on Thursday paused all new appointments to Waqf Boards and froze any changes to the status of Waqf properties until the next hearing. The decision comes amid growing concerns over recent amendments to Waqf laws that have sparked widespread debate.
The central government assured the court that no new appointments will be made and that the current status of all Waqf properties — including those claimed under the controversial “waqf by user” rule — will remain as is for now. This rule allows land to be declared as Waqf property based on its historical religious use by Muslims, even without formal documentation. The court acknowledged that while the principle isn’t inherently flawed, it does raise concerns.
One of the most debated aspects of the new amendments is a clause requiring non-Muslim members to be included on Waqf boards. This change, along with the reduction of Muslim representation — just eight out of 22 members on the Central Board and four out of 11 on State Boards — has drawn strong criticism from community leaders and opposition parties, who have labeled it unjust and discriminatory.
Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna questioned the fairness of the changes, even asking whether similar representation would be offered to Muslims on Hindu religious boards.
Representing the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked for a week’s time to file a formal response to the petitions. He confirmed that no action would be taken under Sections 9 and 14 of the amended law in the meantime.
To streamline proceedings, the court decided to examine only five of the more than 100 petitions filed. The rest will be considered as “disposed of.” After the government submits its response, petitioners will have five days to reply.
The next hearing is expected to be crucial in deciding how Waqf affairs will be governed going forward.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
