The Maharashtra State Wakf Board, which administers all Muslim religious trusts, was on Wednesday dissolved by the Bombay High Court, after being held "defective".
Reacting sharply to his appointment as a member of the Gujarat state Wakf Board by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Ahmed Patil said that he would not be able to take up the post.
After the multi-crore illegal mining scam, another massive scam involving the Wakf Board is creating ripples across Karnataka's political circles.
The Archaeolological Survey of India on Friday filed a petition in the \n\nsupreme court challenging the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board decision declaring the 17th\ncentury mughal monument Taj Mahal as Wakf property.
Union Law and Minorities Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said a National Wakf Development Corporation will be constituted to improve the financial condition and smooth running of Wakf Boards.
'There's no transparency in work (of the Wakf Board), in property transactions (of the Waqf).'
The Supreme Court has put on hold several key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including the clause that only those practicing Islam for the last five years can dedicate a property as Waqf. The court also addressed the powers of collectors and non-Muslim participation in Waqf Boards.
The Supreme Court has upheld the deletion of the 'waqf by user' provision in the amended waqf law, stating it is not arbitrary and addresses potential misuse.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to write to state governments to vacate Wakf properties occupied by them, Minorities Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Friday.
Extending lease period of Wakf property to 30 years is among the amendments likely to be introduced in the Wakf Act 1995 to prevent misuse of such institutions, the government said on Tuesday.
The Bill to amend the Wakf Act, 1995, will make it mandatory for Waqf boards to register their properties with district collectors to ensure their actual valuation.
Several Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, hit out at the BJP government at the Centre, saying agencies are targeting those who raised their voice against the ruling party.
The Centre and the Wakf Board on Thursday submitted before the Delhi High Court that the ceremony by Jama Masjid Shahi Imam anointing his son as his deputy and successor has no legal sanctity.
The Indian government has claimed a significant increase in waqf land following the 2013 amendment to the Waqf Act, asserting that the addition of 20 lakh acres raises concerns about potential "misuse" of the provisions. In an affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Centre highlighted a 116% rise in auqaf area after the amendment and urged the dismissal of petitions challenging the Act's validity.
The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with the ruling NDA defending it as beneficial for minorities while the opposition called it "anti-Muslim". All amendments moved by the opposition were rejected and the bill was passed with 288 votes in favor and 232 against. Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that India is the safest place in the world for minorities, refuting claims of their insecurity.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution on Thursday condemning the Centre's proposed Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, calling for its recall. Chief Minister M K Stalin argued that the amendment interferes with religious affairs and would negatively impact the Muslim minority. The resolution was unanimously passed by the Assembly, with support from all parties, including the opposition AIADMK and PMK. The BJP, however, walked out in protest, accusing the ruling DMK of engaging in divisive politics. The bill aims to streamline the Waqf Board's work and ensure efficient management of Waqf properties but has been criticized for potentially encroaching on religious freedom and autonomy. The Tamil Nadu government claims that the amendment would lead to government control over the Waqf Board and its properties, impacting its autonomy and potentially allowing for government acquisition of Muslim-owned lands.
'As CIC, you have the power to comment on policy matters. 'If you have very strong beliefs and you know your rulings will be reported, you will express your beliefs.'
Paswan said he was willing to contest the upcoming Bihar assembly polls as an NDA partner "if the BJP so desires", and made light of estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras' recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In doing so, it further cemented the community's determination to support the opposition. But at the same time, it consolidated its Hindu vote bank like never before.
'Young people say they know all this emphasis on Hindu-Muslim differences is politically motivated.' 'If you stop watching TV and turn off social media, you'll find the situation on the ground different.'
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed in the Lok Sabha early Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party would oppose the Centre's move to bring a bill in Parliament to amend the 1995 law governing Waqf boards, and accused the BJP of trying to snatch the rights of Muslims.
The Delhi High Court on Friday said the ceremony by Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari to annoint his son as his successor has no legal sanctity.
"There have been regular complaints of illegal encroachment and sale of Wakf properties the country wide. Hence, we tried to amend some provisions of the existing Wakf Act 1995. Now questions are being raised as why Wakf properties is being registered. This is an age in which even births and deaths are being registered. I fail to understand why should there be any objection to registration of Wakf properties," Khurshid said in New Delhi.
The Waqf Board declared Taj Mahal as its property on July 13.
Syed Ahmed Bukhari, whose status as Imam of Jama Masjid was questioned by the Delhi Wakf Board, was on Thursday directed by the Delhi High Court to submit a statement of accounts of the last 30 years to the Board.
It provides for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards and ensures the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.
The bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards proposes far-reaching changes in the Wakf Act, 1995, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.
The Supreme Court of India will hear a plea from the mosque management committee challenging an order rejecting its petition in the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh on January 15. The Allahabad High Court had rejected the mosque committee's plea, stating that the religious character of the Shahi Idgah mosque needed to be determined. The case involves claims that the mosque was built after the demolition of a temple, a claim disputed by the mosque committee. The Supreme Court will now decide on the maintainability of the mosque committee's plea.
The idea is to help madrasa students join the academic mainstream and prepare them for a better future.
Religious scholar Hazrat Moin Miyan said though the option of filing a review petition is open, they are accepting the verdict for the betterment of the society.
"I am supporting the Hindu side," lawyer M C Dhingra, appearing for Shia Wakf Board, told the bench.
The TDP and the LJP also supported the Bill being sent to a parliamentary committee for further examination.
The Shia Waqf Board is drafting the terms and conditions of a mutual agreement.
The AIMIM leader said that the party "laid certain conditions related to the development of our MLAs constituencies in Dhulia and Malegaon".
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist dubbed it a "cheap poll gimmick" to woo minority votes.
A court in Bengaluru has granted an interim stay on the distribution and sale of a book on Tipu Sultan, on a plea, saying it contained wrong information about the ruler of the erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom.
The divorce certificates of Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik and Ayesha Siddiqui, the Hyderabadi girl he married seven years ago, were issued by Wakf Board institute in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening. The former Pakistan captain had earlier in the day signed papers to divorce Ayesha, after a compromise was brokered by city-based Muslim community leaders, who held hectic negotiations since Tuesday.
The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad high court's September 30 ruling on the Ayodhya title suit, which has given one third of the disputed land to Muslims. Hindu Mahasabha'a national president Swami Chakra Pani has moved the apex court, challenging the verdict which ruled for a three-way division of the disputed land around and underneath the demolished Babri mosque with two parts to Hindus and one to Muslims.
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