Suleiman Khan, assistant general secretary and State Convener of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and AIMPLB district convener Dr. Mohammed Asgar Chulbul, addressing a press conference in Kalaburagi city on June 17, 2025. Photo: Arun Kulkarni/The Hindu
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Suleiman Khan, assistant general secretary and State Convener of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and AIMPLB district convener Dr. Mohammed Asgar Chulbul criticised the Central Government for introducing the Waqf Amendment Act 2025, and said that they would continue to protest until the bill is repealed.
Mr. Suleiman and Dr. Chulbul, addressing joint press persons in Kalaburagi city on Tuesday (June 17, 2025), alleged that the newly amended Waqf Act is aimed at weakening the foundations of Waqf governance and undermining the rights of Muslim community.
They alleged that the government wants to control the Waqf properties by regulating their management and the power it gets through the new Act to determine whether the property belongs to Waqf or not. Opposing the inclusion of non-Muslim members on the Waqf Boards, Mr. Suleiman said that it would interfere with the Muslim community’s right to manage its own affairs, given by the Constitution.
Dr. Chulbul alleged that the Modi-led Government was targeting the Muslim community by misusing its majority to bring in discriminatory amendments to the Waqf Act forcibly against the will of the community. Furthermore, the condition requiring a Waqf (donor) to be a practicing Muslim for at least five years is not only against the Indian legal framework and constitutional Articles 14 and 26 but also conflicts with Islamic Sharia principles, he added.
“We wish to make it clear that these amendments not only violate the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 25, 26 and 29 of the Indian Constitution but also expose the government’s malicious intent to gain total control over the administration of Waqf properties” Dr. Chulbul expressed.
These new Waqf Amendment Act prevent the Muslim minority from freely managing their own religious endowments (Waqf). Articles 25 and 26 of the Indian Constitution guarantee the freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice, and propagate religion, as well as the right to establish and manage religious and charitable institutions, but the newly enforced law deprives Muslim community of these fundamental rights.
They urged the immediate intervention of the President of India to withdraw the Waqf Amendment Act 2025, citing it as undemocratic and anti-minority.
Published – June 18, 2025 04:50 am IST
