NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on April 15 agreed to consider listing a fresh plea challenging the constitutional validity of several provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar took note of the submissions of advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain that a fresh plea was filed and the same be listed for hearing.”All matters where mentioning slips are given, we give dates mostly within a week,” the CJI said.As many as 10 petitions, including the one filed by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi are already listed for hearing on April 16 before a three-judge bench comprising the CJI and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan.The fresh plea, mentioned by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, was filed by Hari Shankar Jain and one Mani Munjal against the Union of India, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Central Waqf Council.The plea challenges the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995 as amended by Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 as those provisions violate Articles 14, 15, 21, 25,26,27 and 300A of the Constitution of India as it creates an ‘imbalance and disharmony in the Indian society’ by offering ‘undue advantages’ to the Muslim community.It said the Waqf Boards, through these legal provisions, have gained excessive powers leading to large-scale occupation of government and private lands across the country.”It is relevant to mention that the public at large in whole of the country is aggrieved from the illegal acts of taking deceitful or forcible possession of the property of individuals and the public properties, have filed more than 120 petitions in different high courts and the same are pending for adjudication,” it said.Referring to a 2025 parliamentary statement by the Union home minister, it noted a ‘sharp increase’ in Waqf-registered land from 18 lakh acres in 2013 to 39 lakh acres in 2025.
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