Samajwadi Party (SP) national spokesperson Sumaiya Rana, on Monday, April 7, alleged that the Uttar Pradesh police slapped her with a personal bond of Rs 10 lakh for raising her voice against the newly passed Waqf Amendment Act.
According to the notice, Rana’s protests were touted as “potentially leading to a breach of peace and public disturbance.” She has been directed to appear before the court on Monday and submit the personal bond.
The 45-year-old leader stated that she will comply with the police notice and submit the personal bond. She also said that she will approach the court regarding the notice.
“The way this Act has come, it is fully unconstitutional. The Act is breaking Article 26 (freedom of religious denominations to manage their religious affairs), Article 14 (equality before the law and equal protection of the laws to all people within India), and Article 300A (no person can be deprived of their property without the authority of law) of the Indian Constitution. In the same way, they are snatching our constitutional right to protest,” she was quoted by the Maktoob Media.
Sumaiya Rana is the daughter of the late eminent poet Munawwar Rana.
Protests from the Muslim community have erupted across the nation against the Waqf Amendment Act. On April 5, the UP police in Muzaffarnagar district issued notices against 24 people for protesting against the Act by wearing black badges and asked them to furnish bonds of Rs 2 lakh each before the court on April 16.
These people were found protesting against the Waqf Amendment Act (then a Bill), wearing black badges on their arms during last Friday prayers of Ramzan in different mosques here on March 28.
Similarly, the district administration of Sitapur released a list of 60 Muslims and asked them to pay a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each. Police said that the notices were issued after they were allegedly found protesting the Act.
In Gujarat’s Surat city, around 45 Muslim women were detained by the police for peacefully protesting against the Waqf Act.
Waqf Act
On April 5, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The previous day, Parliament approved the Bill after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod following an over 13-hour debate. It was passed in the Lok Sabha on April 3 by a 288-232 vote. While tabling the Bill, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that the legislation is not against Muslims or intended to hurt their religious feelings, but seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management.
On April 4, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi moved the Supreme Court against the Act (then a Bill), alleging it “brazenly violates fundamental rights of Muslims and the community.”
Strongly opposing the Act in Lok Sabha, Owaisi called it an “attack on the faith and religious practices of Muslims.” In a dramatic show of dissent, Owaisi symbolically tore a copy of the bill, likening his act to Mahatma Gandhi’s defiance of unjust laws.
“This Waqf Amendment Bill is an attack on the faith and worship of Muslims,” Owaisi had said during the debate, arguing that it undermines the rights of the community.
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