The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday, April 7, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The petition was filed through the party’s deputy general secretary and Member of Parliament, A Raja, who is also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Bill.
The party has raised concerns that the amendments made to the Waqf Act, 1995, through the 2025 legislation, infringe upon the fundamental rights of the Muslim minority community and could adversely impact nearly 50 lakh Muslims in Tamil Nadu and over 20 crore Muslims across the country.
The Tamil Nadu government had earlier opposed the amendment. On March 27, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a resolution, moved by Chief Minister MK Stalin, urging the Union government to withdraw the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, calling it unconstitutional and harmful to the interests of the Muslim community.
“Despite widespread opposition, the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 was passed by the Union Government without proper consideration of the objections raised by the members of the JPC and the other stakeholders. The points raised by the DMK MPs in both Houses were also not considered,” DMK said in a statement.
The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of April 4 with 128 in favour and 95 against it. The debate lasted close to 12 hours, with the bill being passed only at 3 am. The contentious bill has been passed despite Muslim objections and opposition protests that it violates minority and state rights. It has also been pointed out that the bill allows for the appointment of non-Muslims to the Central Waqf Council and to the Waqf Board, infringing on the religious freedom of Muslims.