India’s parliament has passed a controversial bill that overhauls laws governing Muslim religious endowments, despite widespread opposition from Muslim leaders and the opposition party. After a 12-hour debate, the Rajya Sabha approved the Waqf Bill with 128 votes in favor and 95 against, following its earlier passage in the Lok Sabha with a 288–232 vote. Critics say the bill is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, the bill targets waqf properties—Muslim religious endowments currently valued at over $14 billion. One of its most contested provisions requires district-level verification for ownership validation, which critics say threatens historical mosques, graveyards, and shrines that lack colonial-era documentation.

Muslim leaders warn this change could enable state-backed seizures of these properties, especially as radical Hindu groups escalate claims that many mosques were built over Hindu temples. With numerous such claims under review in Indian courts, the new law is feared to facilitate further communal tensions and potentially state-sanctioned reclassification of Muslim sites.

Opposition figures have strongly condemned the bill. Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, called it “unconstitutional” and accused the government of institutionalizing division. Rahul Gandhi echoed the concern, calling the bill “a weapon aimed at marginalizing Muslims” and a dangerous precedent that could one day target other minority communities.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) president Syed Sadatullah Husaini called the move “legislative discrimination” and warned it undermines the secular framework of Indian democracy. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh confirmed the party plans to challenge the bill in the Supreme Court.

The bill is now awaiting final approval by President Droupadi Murmu. Once signed, it will officially become law.

India’s 200 million Muslims, comprising 14% of the population, are the largest religious minority in the Hindu-majority nation. Despite their numbers, Muslims remain among the country’s poorest communities—a disparity highlighted in a 2013 government survey. Critics of the bill argue that instead of uplifting marginalized communities, the legislation further disempowers them under the guise of regulatory reform.