The Sree Narayana Manava Dharmam Trust, a Kerala-based Hindu organization, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, claiming the law poses a serious threat to the survival of the Muslim community in India.
The Trust, founded in 2023 to promote the ideals of Sree Narayana Guru, argues that the amended law dismantles the traditional Islamic system of managing waqf properties, replacing it with a state-dominated model. According to the petition, this shift endangers the economic backbone of Islamic charitable and religious practices.
Central to the Trust’s concern is the removal of the “waqf by user” provision and the inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf Boards, which it says could open the door to property disputes and the erosion of Muslim religious autonomy.
The Supreme Court will hear the matter on May 15, 2025, before a bench led by the incoming Chief Justice B.R. Gavai. The case is part of a wave of over 70 petitions filed nationwide challenging the Act’s constitutional validity.
While the central government defends the law as a step toward greater transparency and accountability, critics fear it could set a precedent affecting minority rights and religious freedoms across the country.
The outcome of this high-profile case is expected to have wide-ranging consequences on how religious endowments are governed in India.
