Supreme Court Challenges Waqf Board's Religious Inclusivity Debate

The Supreme Court questioned the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which allows for non-Muslims to be nominated to waqf boards. The court queried if similar inclusivity should apply to Hindu religious institutions. The Centre argued this does not affect the predominantly Muslim composition.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday scrutinized the inclusion of non-Muslims in waqf boards as outlined in the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan, questioned the logic behind the provision.

Chief Justice Khanna raised a critical query to the Centre, asking if the same inclusivity principle should be applied to Hindu religious institutions. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, asserted that the inclusion of non-Muslims is minimal and does not impact the board's primarily Muslim makeup.

Mehta further argued that objections to such inclusion could also question judicial impartiality, suggesting that by the same logic, the bench could not adjudicate the case. Chief Justice Khanna dismissed this notion, affirming the secular nature of judicial proceedings by stating, "When we sit here, we lose our religion."

(With inputs from agencies.)