AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi moves Supreme Court against Waqf Amendment Bill, calls it a violation of muslim rights

NEW DELHI: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen ( AIMIM ) MP Asaduddin Owaisi has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025. He has termed the proposed law a "brazen violation" of the fundamental rights of Muslims and the Muslim community.

This comes days after Congress MP and Lok Sabha party whip Mohammad Jawed also moved the apex court, calling the Bill discriminatory and unconstitutional. Jawed, who served on the Joint Parliamentary Committee that reviewed the legislation, argued that the amendments disproportionately increase government control over Muslim religious endowments while allowing Hindu and Sikh trusts to remain self-governed.

The petition, filed through advocate Anas Tanwir, raises concerns that the proposed law infringes upon rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 25, 26, 29, and 300A of the Constitution.

Jawed had earlier said, "If you have numbers, it doesn't mean you get passed anything you want and do something unlawful... We have challenged this. We hope that the Supreme Court will take cognisance of this and this will be repealed at the earliest."

The Bill has been passed by both Houses of Parliament and is awaiting Presidential assent.

In Parliament, Owaisi had staged a symbolic protest by tearing a copy of the Bill during the debate. Drawing parallels with Mahatma Gandhi's defiance in South Africa, Owaisi said, "Mahatma Gandhi had said ‘My conscience doesn't accept this’ and he tore it up. Like Gandhi, I am also tearing up this law. This is unconstitutional. The BJP wants to create divisiveness in this country in the name of temples and mosques."

He added that the Bill curbs the rights of Muslims and urged the government to accept 10 amendments he proposed.

The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 seeks to modify the Waqf Act, 1995, which governs the administration of religious endowments under Islamic law. Critics argue the amendments erode community control and introduce state interference not applied to other religious institutions.