Tamil Nadu to delay Waqf Board reconstitution pending Supreme Court verdict: Minister
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare Minister S. M. Nasar on Saturday announced that the state government will not reconstitute the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board under the amended Waqf Act until the Supreme Court delivers its final verdict.
Nasar said the Union government had brought in the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 1995—renamed as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995—which came into effect on April 8, 2025. The ruling DMK, he added, has opposed the legislation from the outset and has challenged it before the apex court.
“Several other stakeholders have also filed petitions against the new law. Considering these, the Supreme Court passed an interim order on September 15, staying certain provisions of the amended Act,” Nasar said, accusing the Union government of rushing the Bill through without proper consultation.
Reaffirming the DMK government’s stand, he said the administration is committed to safeguarding the rights and interests of the Muslim community, which has voiced concerns over the amendments.
Meanwhile, MMK president M. H. Jawahirulla urged the state government to ensure smooth functioning of the Waqf Board by immediately appointing a special officer and filling the post of assistant secretary, which has been vacant for nearly two years.
Earlier, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin declared that the DMK would continue to oppose the law in court, stressing, “This amendment is not just to be opposed but should be fully taken back.” Stalin also accused the BJP-led Union government of pursuing “ulterior motives” aimed at targeting a particular section of society.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which is leading opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, welcomed the Tamil Nadu government’s decision not to form a new Waqf Board under the amended law. Calling the move “timely, appropriate, and courageous,” AIMPLB spokesperson Dr. SQR Ilyas praised Stalin’s administration for taking what he described as a “constitutionally sound” position.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly had in March adopted a resolution urging the Union government to withdraw the Bill, while the Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a similar resolution in October 2024.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which received presidential assent on April 5, has faced widespread protests and multiple legal challenges. Critics argue that the law undermines Muslim religious autonomy and property rights by expanding government control over waqf properties.
Recently, a Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice A. G. Masih partially stayed provisions of the Act. These included the five-year continuous practice requirement to create a waqf and the clause empowering government officials to adjudicate waqf property disputes, which the Court directed must be heard by Waqf Tribunals instead.
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21 hours raid fetch nothing for ED, claims Karnataka Cong MLA’s son
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Haris Nalapad on Tuesday claimed that the 21 hours of search by the ED in his house and other locations did not fetch anything.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of the two sons of Haris (Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad), Aqeeb Khan, grandson of ex-Union cabinet minister K Rahman Khan and an alleged crypto hacker named Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki in a crypto currency-linked money laundering case.
More than a dozen premises in the city have been covered as part of the action executed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"My grandfather is 89-year-old. There is not a single bad mark. My father (N A Haris) is a four-time MLA. There is not a single accusation against him. Their only intention was to target myself and my brother. As simple as that," Mohammed Nalapad, who is a former Karnataka Youth Congress president, told reporters.
According to him, the ED officials carried out raids for 21 hours.
"After 21 hours of search, they took away only two mobile phones from our house. They did not get a single paisa. The ED will testify it," the Congress leader said.
Exuding faith in the law, he said he is ready to fight the case in court.
"Me and my father have opted for politics and we are in public life. You can call me whatever you want but I have not done anything wrong," Mohammed Nalapad said.
Regarding his relationship with Sriki, he said he knew him but had no clue what he was doing.
"I have never said that either me or my brother do not know Sriki. But how will I know what he does in his house? Can his crimes be linked to us," he asked.
The money laundering case stems from some Karnataka Police FIRs and chargesheets filed in a 2017 case of hacking of national and international websites, stealing of bitcoins and sale of these 'stolen' virtual digital assets (VDA) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
The Nalapad brothers and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this alleged crypto-linked crime, the ED said.
