NC to move SC against Waqf Amendment Act

Jammu: National Conference will move the Supreme Court to file a writ petition against the Waqf Amendment Act “as soon as possible”, party’s chief spokesperson and legislator Tanvir Sadiq said on Wednesday.Sadiq, the MLA from Zadibal constituency of Srinagar, said the NC believes that the Act represents a constitutionally “alarming interference” in the religious affairs of the Muslim community.“On the direction of President Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference will file a writ petition in the Supreme Court. This legal battle will now be fought there,” Sadiq told reporters outside J&K Assembly after the House was adjourned sine die late this afternoon.

The last three days of the budget session were disrupted by ruling NC members and their alliance partners after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather disallowed adjournment motion to discuss the contentious Waqf Amendment Act on Monday when the House met after a recess of 12 days.Sadiq said the Act “violates” fundamental constitutional protections under Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, and 300A. “It is a direct attack on the religious freedom, equality, and property rights of Muslims across the country,” the NC leader said.

He said independent MLA and former judge Muzaffar Iqbal, who is supporting the NC-led government, will file the petition in the apex court “as soon as possible” along with lawyers-turned-legislators including Hilal Akbar Lone, Arjun Singh and Riyaz Ahmad Khan.“Our intention to knock on the door of the Supreme Court is that it is very important to fight this big battle there. We stand with every Muslim who was hurt by this new law and we are going to represent them,” Sadiq, flanked by party colleagues and the former judge, said.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha last week after marathon debates in both Houses of Parliament. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Bill on April 5.More than 10 petitions, including those by politicians and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

The DMK, Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Mohammad Jawed, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, RJD MPs Manoj Jha and Faiyaz Ahmad, and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan have approached the apex court against the Act.Referring to the past three days of disruption in the J&K House, Sadiq said they wanted to convey to the rest of the country that the ruling alliance in J&K is not in favour of the Waqf Amendment Act and they are thankful to the speaker for keeping the “sense of the House” on record.

“If more than 300 MPs in the country voted against it, it means that there is a vertical division on the Act,” he said, adding after registering the anger in the assembly, the party has decided to take this battle forward.However, he said many important private members’ resolutions and bills including three resolutions seeking restoration of statehood got lapsed in the chaos.

“The statehood resolutions were equally important but the PDP, BJP and PC (Peoples Conference) deliberately created the din to sideline such important resolutions. We pledge that the statehood resolutions will be taken up in the next (assembly) session. We will fight for statehood in every platform and will not stop till its restoration,” the NC leader said.