The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was cleared by both Houses of Parliament this week after two days of marathon debates. The legislation seeks to stop misuse of Waqf properties.
President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill which was passed by both houses of parliament after heated debates.
The new law has been challenged in the Supreme Court by the Congress, AIMIM, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with separate petitions.
The new law seeks to stop favouritism, misuse of Waqf properties, and encroachments upon Waqf assets. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has said the law is not anti-Muslim.
The amendment was introduced after six months of discussions, including the formation of a joint parliamentary committee.
In the Rajya Sabha, the bill was passed with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early on Thursday, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan filed the petitions in the Supreme Court. While they gave many reasons for filing the petitions, some common ones include allegations that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill – now an Act – was “discriminatory towards Muslim”, and was a “blatant violation of the fundamental rights of Muslims”.
The new law also faces protests from the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). It announced campaigns and protests across the country, focusing on what it called “countering misinformation” and “promoting peaceful activism”.
The government, however, has maintained that the law will benefit Muslim women and ensure transparency in managing Waqf properties.
Defending the bill, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad told NDTV it would bring transparency by making Waqf boards accountable. Seeking to allay fears that the law would take away Waqf properties, he said no mosque or graveyard is going to be touched.
The Indian Air Force has suffered its second big loss in four days after a Para Jump Instructor died because of injuries sustained during a training exercise in Agra on Saturday. The pilot of a Jaguar fighter jet had died on Wednesday after the aircraft had crashed in Gujarat’s Jamnagar during a training sortie.
The Air Force said the Para Jump Instructor, who was from the Akash Ganga skydiving team, died due to injuries sustained during a ‘demo drop’, which is a technical term for a training exercise.
“A Para Jump Instructor from the IAF’s Akash Ganga Skydiving Team succumbed to injuries sustained during a Demo Drop at Agra today. The IAF deeply mourns the loss, and extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, standing firmly with them in this hour of grief,” the Indian Air Force tweeted.
A Para Jump Instructor from the IAF’s Akash Ganga Skydiving Team succumbed to injuries sustained during a Demo Drop at Agra today. The IAF deeply mourns the loss, and extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, standing firmly with them in this hour of grief.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) April 5, 2025
NDTV has learnt that the Warrant Officer’s parachute did deploy, but he sustained injuries and died in a hospital.
Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav, a resident of Rewari, had died after his twin-seater Jaguar aircraft had crashed in Jamnagar on Wednesday. The 28-year-old had ensured that his co-pilot ejected and that he steered the crashing jet away from densely populated areas.
Yadav had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant two years ago. He got engaged in March and was scheduled to get married in November.