Hindu parties move Supreme Court challenging provisions of Waqf Act 1995

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Amidst ongoing legal battles over the recent amendments to the Waqf Act, some Hindu parties have now approached the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995 as amended by Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.

The petition, filed by Advocate Hari Shankar Jain and others, was mentioned before the Supreme Court on Apr 15 by Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain for urgent listing.

The plea alleges that certain provisions of the 1995 Act allow Muslim community members to “illegally capture” government lands and Hindu religious properties. It argues that the current framework of the Waqf Act extends “undue favours” to Muslims and threatens the religious and property rights of Hindus.

The petitioners have urged the government to take the necessary steps to identify Hindu religious and personal properties that have allegedly been wrongfully registered as Waqf. They claim the provisions are discriminatory and not in line with Articles 14 and 25 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before law and freedom of religion.

The plea claims that public lands, government properties, and even gram sabha lands have been misused under the guise of Waqf, leading to significant revenue loss.