No fresh appointments to waqf boards, SC assured

The Supreme Court on Thursday recorded the undertaking given by the Union government that no fresh members would be appointed to waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council in terms of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, till the next date of hearing, and asked it to file its preliminary reply within seven days.

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In its interim order, a bench, headed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, recorded the assurance given by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the second highest law officer of the Centre, that the status of existing waqfs, including waqf by user, will not be changed or identified.

The Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan, asked the Centre to file its reply to the petitions seeking stay and challenging the validity of the recent amendments introduced to the Waqf Act, 1995, within a period of seven days.

In view of the multiplicity of the petitions, the apex court told the petitioners to choose five lead pleas to be decided by the apex court, adding that the other petitions may be treated as applications and deemed to be disposed of.

The apex court directed its registry to rename the matter as "In Re: Waqf Amendment Act".

It also ordered the appointment of nodal counsel to facilitate the filing of pleadings and written submissions before the apex court.