'Communal attack on constitutional reform': Naqvi slams Oppn on Waqf issue

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday slammed the Opposition for criticising the amendments to the Waqf Act and said those involved in communal attack on a constitutional reform are neither well-wishers of the country nor any religion.

The former minority affairs minister's remarks came after the Supreme Court put on hold several key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including the clause that only those practising Islam for the last five years can dedicate a property as waqf, but refused to stay the entire law.

Naqvi said the much-needed Waqf (Amendment) Act is the guarantee for the protection of religious faith and historic reform in the administration of waqf.

Asked about the Supreme Court's interim order, Naqvi told reporters that this is a constructive law made by Parliament after extensive deliberation and debate in both Houses of Parliament.

It has nothing to do with any religious practice or custom, he said.

Lashing out at the critics of the amendments, Naqvi said that some people are terming the law related to land as the ''words written in a heavenly book'' because they want a ''legal licence to loot''.

Naqvi said that the Waqf law is an administrative reform and not a religious one.

''Those involved in the communal attack on constitutional reforms are neither well-wishers of the country nor any religion,'' he said.

A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, in its interim order on the intensely debated issue, said, ''We have held that presumption is always in favour of constitutionality of a statute and intervention (can be done) only in the rarest of rare cases.'' The apex court also pressed pause on the powers given to a Collector to adjudicate the status of waqf properties and ruled on the contentious issue of non-Muslim participation in Waqf Boards, directing that the Central Waqf Council should not have more than four non-Muslim members out of 20, and State Waqf Boards not more than three of 11.

The CJI said the bench has considered the ''prima facie challenge'' to each section in the new law and found that ''no case was made out to stay entire provisions of the statute''.

''However, some sections need some protection,'' he said.

The Centre notified the Act on April 8 after it got President Droupadi Murmu's assent on April 5.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on April 3 and April 4 respectively.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)