New Delhi. The Supreme Court postponed the hearing on the Waqf Amendment Act on Monday. The next hearing will be held on 15 May. Significantly, Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna was chaired by a bench of three judges hearing. They are retiring on 14 May. Justice BR Gawai will be the Chief Justice in his place. Earlier on April 17, the Supreme Court gave the Center seven days to respond. At the same time, new appointments were banned in the Waqf Board till the next hearing.
In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had asked to maintain the status quo on the property declared Waqf till the Center’s reply came. On the direction of the Supreme Court, the Center filed an affidavit on 25 April, stating that the law is completely constitutional. It has passed from Parliament, so it should not be banned. In the affidavit, the government claimed that since 2013, Waqf properties increased by more than 2 million acres. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board denied the government’s figures as wrong and demanded action against the court with false affidavits.