STATE TIMES NEWS
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament earlier this week.
Murmu also gave her assent to the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025.
“The following Act of Parliament received the assent of the president on April 5, 2025, and is hereby published for general information: The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025,” the government said in a notification.
Parliament early on Friday approved the Bill after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate.
The discussion witnessed staunch objections from opposition parties, which termed the Bill “anti-Muslim” as well as “unconstitutional”, while the government responded that the “historic reform” would benefit the minority community.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early on Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Parliament had also approved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod. The Lok Sabha had already given its assent to the Bill.
After the president gave her assent, it has also become a law.
Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday challenged the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Supreme Court, saying it violated constitutional provisions. Jawed’s plea alleged the Bill imposed “arbitrary restrictions” on Waqf properties and their management, undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community. The petition, filed through advocate Anas Tanwir, said it discriminated against the Muslim community by “imposing restrictions that are not present in the governance of other religious endowments”.