Kerala-Based Hindu Trust Challenges Waqf Amendment Act in Supreme Court, Citing Threat to Muslim Community

New Delhi, May 5: In a significant development, the Sree Narayana Manava Dharmam Trust, a Kerala-based Hindu organisation, has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The Trust, founded in 2023 to propagate the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru, argued that the controversial law threatens the very survival of the Muslim community in India.

According to a report by Bar and Bench, the Trust has filed an intervention plea in the ongoing batch of petitions against the amended Waqf law. In its submission, the organisation stated that its commitment to the ideals of inter-communal harmony compels it to oppose the Act, which it believes undermines social justice and religious freedom.

“The Trust cannot remain an idle spectator to the devastating impact of the impugned Act on the Muslim community and social justice in India,” the plea states. It also argues that the Act “erroneously treats the Waqf mechanism as a non-religious institution,” thereby stripping it of its Islamic legal foundations.

The plea further contends that the amendment introduces an unconstitutional, state-imposed mechanism that overrides traditional religious frameworks and violates fundamental rights under Articles 21, 25, 26, and 29(1) of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court proceedings saw a shift in leadership as Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna recused himself from the case on May 5, just days before his retirement on May 13. The matter will now be heard on May 15 by a bench led by Justice Bhushan R. Gavai.

The Centre, which has filed a 1,332-page preliminary affidavit, has sought dismissal of all petitions, describing the opposition to the law as a “mischievous false narrative.” However, it earlier assured the Court that it would not denotify any Waqf properties or make appointments to Waqf bodies until May 5.

The Supreme Court has also made it clear that it will entertain only five out of more than 70 petitions filed against the Act, which received presidential assent on April 5.

Critics, including the Sree Narayana Manava Dharmam Trust, warn that the law could dismantle the economic infrastructure that sustains Islamic charitable and religious practices, effectively endangering the community’s ability to freely practice its faith.