The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has strongly condemned the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, and demanded its immediate repeal, terming it a discriminatory move aimed at disenfranchising India’s Muslim community. The Act, passed earlier this year by the BJP-led central government with the support of JD(U) and TDP, makes significant changes to the management and regulation of waqf properties across the country. Although its constitutionality is being challenged in the Supreme Court, and interim relief is awaited, the Union government has already notified the “Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025” in July, sparking further concern.
Waqf refers to property donated under Islamic law for charitable, educational, or religious purposes, intended for public benefit rather than private gain. NAPM argued that while all religious communities in India have similar traditions of dedicating property for public good, the government’s approach in this case was unilateral and designed to alienate Muslims. According to the organisation, the amendment is presented as being for the “welfare of the Muslim community,” but this is seen as a hollow claim given the BJP’s history of hostility and violence against minorities.
Among the most contentious provisions is the transfer of authority to district collectors to adjudicate whether disputed land is waqf or state property. Critics point out that this creates a conflict of interest, as the state becomes judge in matters where it is a party. The abolition of the long-recognised practice of “waqf by user,” where longstanding community use of land for religious or charitable purposes automatically confers waqf status, threatens nearly half of the 8.7 lakh waqf properties in India. Changes to the composition of waqf boards to include non-Muslim members, and restrictions limiting donations to Muslims who have practised Islam for at least five years, have also been denounced as arbitrary and exclusionary.
The amendment has heightened fears in states such as Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for about 15 percent of all waqf properties and where the government has faced repeated accusations of targeting minorities through demolitions and bulldozer actions. NAPM warned that the law plays into a wider political narrative portraying waqf as a tool for “land grab” and Muslims as undeserving holders of property. It accused the government of using communal propaganda to justify measures that strengthen state control while misleading the public into believing the changes protect ordinary citizens.
Placing the Act within the broader context of what it described as a pattern of majoritarian policies, NAPM drew parallels with the Citizenship Amendment Act, anti-conversion laws, and the push for Uniform Civil Codes in some states. It argued that these steps collectively seek to disempower Muslims politically, socially, and economically, while consolidating Hindutva dominance. At 200 million people, Muslims make up 14 percent of India’s population, and NAPM cautioned that targeting such a large community threatens not only their rights but also the foundations of India’s plural democracy.
The organisation noted that despite the matter being under judicial scrutiny, demolitions of waqf properties have already begun in some states, reflecting the government’s intent to push ahead regardless of legality. It also criticised the role of major media outlets, accusing them of running propaganda designed to inflame communal sentiments rather than encourage informed debate.
Calling the law patently unconstitutional and violative of Article 14’s guarantee of equality before law, NAPM urged the Supreme Court to strike it down as ultra vires. It further appealed to citizens across communities to resist what it termed “majoritarian machinations” to divide Indian society. “It is time that the streets send a message to the corridors of power that their attempts to pit communities against each other will not be tolerated,” the statement declared.
The group concluded by asserting that the struggle against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, is not only about defending Muslim rights but about safeguarding the principles of equity, fairness, and constitutional democracy for all Indians.
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