New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain oral pleas for the urgent listing of petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, with Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna emphasizing that there exists a “robust system of listing” in place for such requests.
The development came as senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the CJI to grant an early hearing to a petition filed by Maulana Arshad Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, challenging the constitutional validity of the newly enacted Waqf law.
“Why are you mentioning orally? There is a robust system in place for urgent listing. Please, send a letter of urgency and that will be placed before me,” CJI Khanna told Sibal during the hearing.
When Sibal clarified that the urgency letter had already been submitted, the Chief Justice responded, “I will get the letter and do the needful. All these requests are placed before me every afternoon. There is no need to mention.”
A similar oral request was made by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and lawyer Nizam Pasha, who appeared on behalf of AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, also challenging the controversial amendments. However, the CJI stood firm on following procedural norms, indicating the court would take up the matter at an appropriate time.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, passed by Parliament on April 4 and signed into law by the President on April 5, introduces sweeping reforms in the governance of Islamic charitable endowments (waqfs). The amendments have since sparked legal and political backlash, with multiple petitions filed by opposition leaders, religious bodies, and civil society groups.
