India court stays key provisions of controversial new law on Muslim properties
Summary
India's Supreme Court has temporarily stopped some parts of a new law about how Muslim-donated properties are managed, following challenges by Muslim groups. The law, called the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, was passed by the government in April and aims to change how these properties are governed, but critics believe it affects their rights. The court decided to freeze provisions that allow the government to decide on property disputes, stating this power goes against the constitutional separation of governmental powers.Key Facts
- The Indian Supreme Court has temporarily halted parts of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.
- The law deals with properties donated by Muslims for religious or charitable purposes.
- The previous law from 1995 required state waqf boards to manage these properties.
- A controversial part of the new law lets the government decide if a property is waqf, but the court stopped this.
- The court says letting the government decide property disputes goes against constitutional separation of powers.
- 872,852 waqf properties are registered in India, with significant numbers in legal or unclear status.
- A requirement that donors be practicing Muslims for five years was removed by the court.
- The court limited non-Muslim members on waqf boards but kept their allowance, suggesting the CEO should be from the Muslim community.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
