Experts slam Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025; call it a blow to constitutional values

In a scathing critique of the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, a group of legal scholars, rights activists, and academics came together at a national webinar organised by the Siliguri-based Haji Halima Foundation to examine the constitutionality and broader implications of the newly amended law.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The webinar, titled 'Constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025' warned that the legislation poses a serious threat to minority rights, religious freedom, and the federal structure of the country.

Moderated by Prof. Narender Nagarwal of the University of Delhi, an expert in constitutional law and minority rights, the discussion opened with an unequivocal assertion: "The amendment appears to be driven by malafide intentions aimed at bureaucratisation and centralising Waqf governance, contrary to the constitutional protections guaranteed to religious institutions."

Prof. Sachidanand Sinha, former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, emphasised that "a particular community is being unfairly targeted and isolated in the name of reforming Waqf property management".