New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025 in its entirety but suspended some of its controversial provisions. A bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the law can be stayed only in the “rarest of rare cases” and allowed most provisions to remain in force.
The apex court, however, put on hold the clause empowering district collectors to unilaterally decide whether a property declared as Waqf belongs to the government and to alter revenue records. It also suspended the requirement that a person creating a waqf must have practiced Islam for at least five years.
The Court clarified that any determination by collectors will remain subject to adjudication by waqf tribunals and relevant High Courts. Meanwhile, the provision making it mandatory to register all waqf properties on the central UMEED portal has been allowed to continue.
The ruling comes amid widespread debate and legal challenges to the amendments, which the government had introduced earlier this year to bring transparency and regulation in the management of waqf properties across the country.
