Supreme Court halts waqf appointments, 'waqf by user' changes till next hearing
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including the controversial removal of the 'waqf by user' clause, until the next hearing scheduled for May 5. The court also directed that no appointments be made to Waqf Boards or the Central Waqf Council in the interim.
The decision came while hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the amended Waqf Act. Petitioners argued that the new law alters the fundamental character of waqf properties and religious administration.
The amended Act also introduced a change in the composition of Waqf Boards by mandating the inclusion of non-Muslim members—a provision that has attracted significant criticism from community leaders and religious bodies.
During the proceedings, the Centre assured the bench that it would refrain from making any appointments to the Waqf Boards or Council until further orders from the court.
The matter will now be taken up again by the Supreme Court on May 5.
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Informing Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor was a crime: Rahul Gandhi on Jaishankar's 'admission'
New Delhi, May 17 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the government for "informing" Pakistan about targeting terror infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor, saying it was a crime and asking who had authorised it.
In a post on X, Gandhi questioned External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar for publicly admitting that the government of India (GOI) had informed Pakistan of the action and asked how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost as a result.
"Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" said Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
He also shared an undated video of Jaishankar saying India had informed Pakistan of the action against terror infrastructure on its soil.
Jaishankar can be heard saying in the video, "At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan, saying, 'We are striking at terrorist infrastructure and we are not striking at the military.'"
"So the military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take that good advice," the minister can be heard saying in the clip.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB), however, has debunked claims that Jaishankar had said India informed Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor. In a post on X, the PIB's Fact Check Unit said the minister had not made any such statement and that he was being misquoted.
Operation Sindoor was the Indian offensive against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2025
EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.
1. Who authorised it?
2. How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result? pic.twitter.com/KmawLLf4yW
