Centre Urges Supreme Court to Restrict Waqf Hearing to Three Key Issues
In proceedings before the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih to confine the scope of ongoing hearings on waqf-related matters strictly to three issues previously identified by the court.
The Solicitor General highlighted that the petitioners&rsquo; written submissions had introduced several new issues beyond the agreed scope. &ldquo;The court had identified three issues. We have responded accordingly. I have filed an affidavit addressing these alone. My request is to limit the hearing to those three matters,&rdquo; he submitted.
The first issue pertains to the authority of waqf boards to denotify properties designated as waqf by court rulings, user practice, or formal deed. The second concerns the composition of State Waqf Boards and the Central Waqf Council, with petitioners contending that only Muslims&mdash;excluding ex-officio members&mdash;should be eligible for these roles. The third issue remains undisclosed in open court.
Opposition politicians and various Muslim organisations have petitioned against amendments enacted earlier this year, challenging their constitutional validity.
In a previous hearing, the Union Government assured the Court that no waqf property&mdash;including those identified by usage&mdash;would be denotified, nor would appointments to the Waqf Council or State Boards be made until 5 May.
The Court had suggested issuing an interim order to bar denotifications, a move resisted by the Centre, which seeks to maintain the administrative status quo during the legal review.
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Supreme Court urged to exclude fresh submissions beyond pre-framed waqf-related issues.

Centre Seeks to Limit Waqf Case to Three Issues

Supreme Court urged to exclude fresh submissions beyond pre-framed waqf-related issues.

May 20, 2025 | 15:31 IST