Supreme Court to Hear Pleas on Waqf Act
The Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, following the government’s recent pause on two contentious aspects of the law. The government assured the apex court on April 17 that it would not denotify waqf properties, including "waqf by user," or make any appointments to the Central Waqf Council and boards until May 5. The Supreme Court had noted the government’s opposition to an interim order against denotifying waqf properties and had granted a week’s time to the government to file a preliminary response to the pleas.
The Supreme Court will hear five petitions, including one filed by Hyderabad MP Asadudding Owaisi, which are now titled In Re the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 and other related fresh pleas. The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 was notified last month after President Droupadi Murmu’s assent on April 5. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha with the support of 288 members and against 232, while the Rajya Sabha saw 128 members in favor and 95 against it.
Several political parties, civil society groups, and Muslim bodies have moved the Supreme Court to challenge the validity of the Act. The Delhi High Court will hear petitions by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia against the trial court’s decision to take cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate’s charge sheet filed in an alleged excise policy scam. The petitions, filed in 2024, are listed for hearing before Justice Ravinder Dudeja.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for several road projects worth Rs 5,416 crore in Telangana on Monday. Gadkari will inaugurate road projects worth Rs 4,590 crore and lay the foundation for national highway projects worth Rs 826 crore at two events to be held in Kagaznagar town and Hyderabad. A 1.47 km flyover in Amberpet, Hyderabad, built at Rs 330 crore, is among the road projects to be inaugurated by Gadkari.
