Waqf Act Is Law of the Land, Says BJP MP Jagdambika Pal Amid SC Challenge

By A Staff Reporter

Lucknow | Amid ongoing legal challenges to the Waqf (Amendment) Act in the Supreme Court, BJP MP and Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf, Jagdambika Pal, has firmly defended the legislation, describing it as both constitutional and beneficial, particularly for the Pasmanda Muslim community.

Speaking on the matter, Pal said, “The bill was passed in Parliament and was signed by the President. Now, the Waqf Act is the law of the land.” His remarks come in the wake of growing criticism and a slew of petitions—73 in total—filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Act’s constitutional validity and alleging interference with religious freedoms.

Pal countered these claims, clarifying the nature of the Waqf Board. “Some people gave a petition in the SC calling it unconstitutional and that it interferes with religious freedom... Waqf Board is not a religious body; it only looks after the land belonging to Waqf,” he said. “Every time they go to the court, it has been clarified that it is a statutory body, not a religious one.”

He further emphasized that the recent amendments to the Act are prospective in nature. “The retrospective effect has ended, the amendment is prospective... The opposition is a political one and is misguiding the country,” Pal asserted.