Aliah University students hold protest over Waqf (Amendment) Act.

NEW DELHI: Widespread protests broke out in Mumbai and Kolkata on Friday as members of the Muslim community voiced strong opposition to the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The demonstrations began shortly after Friday prayers, with thousands of people taking to the streets, chanting slogans and holding placards denouncing the legislation.
In Mumbai, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Waris Pathan was seen at one of the protest sites, lending political weight to the agitation.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, students from Aliah University staged a protest march, expressing concerns over the implications of the amendment on minority rights and religious endowments.
Similar protest were also held in Jaipur, Lucknow and Srinagar.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 was officially notified by the central government on Tuesday, after receiving President Droupadi Murmu’s assent on April 5.
The bill had earlier cleared both houses of Parliament amid heated debate—passing in the Lok Sabha on April 3 with 288 votes in favor and 232 against, and in the Rajya Sabha with 128 in favor and 95 opposed.
Following its enactment, at least 10 petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the amendment. Among the petitioners is AIMIM, which has strongly criticized the act, alleging it undermines the autonomy of Waqf institutions.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the petitions on April 16, with a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna presiding over the matter.
Anticipating the legal challenge, the Centre filed a caveat on April 8, requesting that no order be passed by the apex court without first hearing the government’s side. A caveat is a legal mechanism used to ensure that the court does not issue ex-parte orders in matters of significant public interest.
(With agency inputs)