‘Very Disturbing’: Supreme Court On Violence Over Anti-Waqf Law Protests

WAQF

The Supreme Court on Wednesday voiced concern over recent outbreaks of violence linked to protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, calling the situation “very disturbing.”

A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan, made the remark while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the amended law.

“One thing that is very disturbing is the violence that is taking place. If the matter is pending here, then it should not happen,” CJI Khanna observed during the proceedings.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, echoed the court’s concern and remarked that some protestors were attempting to influence the judicial process through agitation.

“They think they can pressurise the system by this,” he said.

However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of a Muslim organisation, pushed back against that claim.

“Who is pressuring who, we don’t know,” Sibal countered.

CJI Khanna also noted that there were “positive aspects” of the new legislation that needed to be acknowledged amid the ongoing debate.

Violence Escalates In Bengal

The court’s comments come in the wake of fresh unrest reported from Bhangar in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on April 14, even as officials said the situation in previously affected areas like Murshidabad had stabilized.

At least three people lost their lives and hundreds were displaced following communal clashes in parts of Murshidabad district — including Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian, and Jangipur — on April 11 & 12.

In response to the escalating situation, the Calcutta High Court recently ordered the deployment of central paramilitary forces in Murshidabad to restore order.