The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed by the Lok Sabha on April 2, 2025, with 288 votes supporting it as against 232 in opposition. It involves important alterations from the waqf management: property donation of lands and assets for Muslim charitable purposes.

Adding Non-Muslims into Waqf Boards: The bill provides for the representation of non-Muslims in waqf boards to diversify the board and improve its management.

Government Monitoring on Land Ownership: It includes a statutory provision for government approval to ascertain the land ownership of waqf properties to prevent possible corruption and mismanagement. ​

As Union Home Minister Amit Shah explained, this purely administrative participation of non-Muslims will help ensure that the appropriate donations will be used for their intended public purposes. He termed such concerns as misplaced fears generated by vote bank politics, claiming noninvolvement in religious matters.

Opposition Congress and other Muslim groups are unified in their criticism, arguing that the bill discriminates against Muslims and threatens the rights of their properties. They condemned it to confiscate historic religious sites, especially those without formal documentation. Rahul Gandhi said the legislation is an attack on the Constitution and aims to marginalize Muslims and strip them of their property rights. ​ 

The Rajya Sabha must now approve the bill, and the president must sign it into law. 

This is a bill whose passage has ignited public debate across the nation and cuts deeply into issues of religious freedom and, indeed, even minority rights in India.