Amid growing protests over the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, Uttar Pradesh Minister Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh stated that while everyone has the right to approach the court, Parliament has the sovereign right to pass legislation.
“Everyone has the right to protest. Everyone has the right to move court. We will get to know what the Court does or does not do. The government will present its position. Parliament has the right to pass a Bill, and I don’t think the Court will interfere,” Singh told ANI.
The Minister also commented on concerns regarding the control of Waqf properties, alleging misuse and unauthorized occupation.
“A lot of the land is falsely and forcibly controlled by the Waqf,” he asserted.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav strongly criticized the Waqf Amendment Act, labeling it as unconstitutional and politically motivated.
“The Act is absolutely unconstitutional. Government has formed this by overlooking the Constitution. This has been done to divert public’s attention from unemployment, inflation, law and order. This has appealed against in the Court. I am confident that the Supreme Court will cancel this,” Yadav said while speaking to media.
Legal challenges to the law have already been mounted, with the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind—India’s largest body of Islamic scholars—filing a petition in the Supreme Court, questioning the constitutional validity of the law.
Several prominent political leaders have also approached the top court, including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, who have raised concerns about the law’s impact on the Muslim community and Waqf properties.
The controversy follows President Droupadi Murmu’s assent on April 5 to both the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025, which were passed during the Budget Session of Parliament.
The matter is expected to spark a major legal and political debate in the coming weeks, with the Supreme Court now set to hear challenges to the law’s validity.