Hindu Sena moves Supreme Court in support of Waqf Act Amendments
New Delhi: The Hindu Sena on Wednesday filed an intervention application before the Supreme Court backing the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. This comes amid several petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the recent amendments to the Waqf Act, 1995.
In the application filed by Hindu Sena’s National President, the organisation stated that the amendments are in line with the constitutional provisions and do not violate the rights of the Muslim community. Instead, it argued that the earlier version of the law adversely affected non-Muslims.
According to the plea, “The unamended provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995, particularly s. 3 read with s. 40, allowed the Waqf Board to take over properties belonging to non-Muslims, causing serious prejudice.” The application further stated that the amendments would now ensure justice for non-Muslims whose properties were taken over or claimed as waqf.
The Hindu Sena also termed the amended law as a necessary correction to what it described as “draconian provisions” in the original Act, asserting that there is no illegality in the changes introduced through the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Earlier, the Union government filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in response to the petitionsseeking a stay on the Act’s implementation. A caveat allows a party to be heard before any interim relief is granted to the opposing party.
The concept of ‘waqf’—a charitable endowment under Islamic law—typically involves property dedicated for religious or philanthropic purposes, such as mosques, schools, or hospitals.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which later became an Act following the President’s assent, was recently passed in Parliament after extended debates in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, with discussions continuing past midnight in both Houses.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
