How many Hindu members can there be in Waqf Board? Understand the structure of central and state boards from the decision of the Supreme Court.

The debate is going on across the country regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The most discussed issue is whether now Hindu members can also be included in the Waqf Board? This question is also arising because many petitions challenging this law were heard in the Supreme Court and the court also gave interim orders on some provisions. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to reconstitute its Waqf Board under the new law and include two Hindu members in it. After this, the question became more acute that what are the provisions in the new law and how many non-Muslim or Hindu members can there be in the Central and State Waqf Board.

Waqf boards are formed to oversee and manage the Waqf properties of the Muslim community. Earlier, almost all the members of these boards were Muslims. But, after the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, many new changes have been made. There is also a provision to include non-Muslim members, on which there is the most controversy. Opponents say that this will affect the independence of religious institutions, while the central government says that this will increase transparency and accountability in the functioning. At present this law has been challenged in the Supreme Court. The court has not stayed the entire law and the hearing of the case is still going on. In such a situation, it is important to know what changes have taken place in the structure of the Waqf Board after the new law.

Understand the matter at a glance-

1. Waqf Board manages the Waqf properties of the Muslim community.
2. A provision to include non-Muslim members was added in the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
3. The Supreme Court has not banned the entire law, but has given an interim order on some provisions.
4. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to reconstitute the Waqf Board under the new law.

How many Hindu members can there be in Waqf Board?

Under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, for the first time, a provision has been made to include non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Board. According to the law, a maximum of four non-Muslim members can be nominated in the Central Waqf Council. At the same time, a maximum of two non-Muslim members can be appointed in the State Waqf Board. These non-Muslim members may include Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains or people of any other religion.

Why did Madhya Pradesh become the center of discussion?

After the implementation of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to reconstitute its Waqf Board under the new law. The state government has constituted a 10-member board, in which for the first time two Hindu members – Manoj Malpani and Animesh Bhargava have been included. Sanwar Patel has been given the responsibility again as the Chairman of the Board. The government says that these appointments have been made in accordance with the provisions of the new law. However, this decision has also been opposed by some Muslim organizations and opposition leaders. He says that when the hearing is going on in the Supreme Court on the validity of the Waqf Amendment Act, it is hasty to form a new board.

What did the Supreme Court say?

Many petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Act. During the hearing, the court refused to stay the entire law, but gave an interim order on some disputed provisions. The court has said that the final decision on whether the law is correct or not will be taken after a complete hearing. The issue of including non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board was also a major topic of the hearing. Many Muslim organizations opposing this law say that Waqf is a religious institution, hence non-Muslim members should not be included in its management. They believe that this may affect the religious rights granted under Article 26 of the Constitution.

There is opposition to the new rule

Committee patron Shamsul Hasan says that Waqf is a religious and social institution of the Muslim society, where people leave their property as Waqf for the sake of Allah. According to him, the appointment of non-Muslim members in the management of Waqf Board is not appropriate. For this reason the committee is opposing this decision. At the same time, the central government says that this change has been made only to make the administration more transparent and accountable. This will not affect the religious functioning or religious nature of the Waqf Board.

Why was Waqf law made?

The Waqf Act, 1995 is a central law of India, which was enacted for better management and protection of Waqf properties of the Muslim community. Waqf properties are those which are donated for religious, educational or social purposes. Under this law, Waqf Boards are formed in the Center and States, which look after these properties. Their job is to ensure that Waqf land and other properties are used for the purpose for which they were donated. Besides, transparency in their management and adherence to legal process is also ensured.