New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday postponed its hearing on the controversial Waqf Amendment Act to 15 May, extending the interim orders that bar new appointments to Waqf Boards and instructing authorities to maintain the status quo over disputed Waqf properties.
The deferment comes weeks after the apex court, on 17 April, granted the Centre seven days to file a formal response to the legal challenges against the new legislation. During that hearing, the court had also restrained the Waqf Board from making fresh appointments and asked all parties to preserve the current state of Waqf-declared properties until further notice.
In its affidavit submitted on 25 April, the Union government defended the constitutionality of the amended law, stating that the legislation had been duly passed by Parliament and therefore should not be subject to judicial suspension. The Centre’s affidavit runs over 1,300 pages and includes data suggesting that more than 20 lakh acres have been added to the Waqf registry since 2013, leading to an uptick in disputes involving private and government land.
However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has disputed these figures, accusing the Centre of submitting misleading information to the court. The board has demanded that punitive action be taken against the officials responsible for what it termed a “false affidavit”.
The amended Waqf law has sparked widespread opposition, with over 70 petitions filed against it in the Supreme Court. The court, however, has decided to consider only five principal petitions for now, including one filed by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
The new law, which came into force after receiving presidential assent in April, was passed in the Lok Sabha with 288 votes in favour and 128 in the Rajya Sabha. Several opposition parties have challenged the law’s provisions, alleging overreach and constitutional violations, and have approached the apex court seeking redress.