To streamline proceedings and prevent overcrowding, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed that only five petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act will be heard. The remaining approximately 65 petitions will be treated as intervention or impleadment applications in these five lead cases.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan issued the directive, clarifying that the five petitions were chosen by consensus among the petitioners, as per the Court's instructions.

The five petitions shortlisted for hearing are

1. Arshad Madani v. Union of India – Arshad Madani is an Islamic scholar and the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband.

2. Muhammad Jameel Merchant v. Union of India – Merchant is a well-known social activist.

3. Mohammed Fazlurrahim & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors. – Fazlurrahim serves as the General Secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

4. Sheikh Noorul Hassan v. Union of India & Ors. – Hassan is a legislator from the Manipur National People’s Party.

5. Asaduddin Owaisi v. Union of India – Owaisi is the President of AIMIM and a Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad.

The matter will be heard under the title In Re: The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, rather than by the names of individual petitioners.

Advocate Ejaz Maqbool has been appointed as the nodal counsel for the petitioners, while Advocate Kanu Agrawal will represent the Union of India. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain will serve as nodal counsel for the applicants seeking intervention.

The Court is scheduled to hear the matter for interim relief on May 5.