Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, on Monday filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the 2025 Waqf Amendment Act, contending it “was unconstitutional and adversely affected the rights and interests of the Muslim minority community”, The Indian Express reported.

The petition has been filed by party general secretary and Nilgiris MP A Raja.

Previously Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi also filed petitions in the court challenging the law, which was then a bill.

In separate petitions, the Opposition MPs claimed the legislation was “discriminatory” and “unconstitutional”.

Raja, Jawed and Owaisi were all part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the law.

Raja has argued in his petition that the law infringes on the fundamental rights of around 50 lakh Muslims in Tamil Nadu and 20 crore Muslims across the country, Live Law reported.

On March 27, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution urging the Union government to withdraw the bill, calling it “another attempt by the Union government to interfere in the religious administration of Muslims”.

“Despite widespread opposition, the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 was passed by the Union Government without proper consideration of the objections raised by the members of the JPC and the other stakeholders,” the party said in a statement on Monday.

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.

The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill proposed amendments to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act, including allowing non-Muslims on waqf boards, restricting property donations and changing how waqf tribunals function.

On Saturday, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the bill, turning it into a law. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, and in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.


Also read: With the Waqf Bill, the state brings a legal bulldozer to minority rights