Mumbai: Congress Working Committee member and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan has warmly welcomed the interim order given by the Supreme Court on the Waqf Act and said that this decision of the court once again shows the mirror to the Modi government. The BJP government has the misconception that after getting an overwhelming majority in Parliament, it has got the right to trample the Constitution, but the court has made it clear that the biggest power in democracy is the Constitution, not the majority of any political party. This order of the Supreme Court is a tight slap on the arrogance of the Modi government and reminds that no one can suppress the voice of the Constitution.

In his statement to the media, Naseem Khan said that in the last several years, the BJP government has repeatedly made such laws which aim to target the weaker sections of the society and weaken the constitutional values. The Waqf Amendment Act is also a link in the same chain through which the government tried to curb the religious and social freedom of the minorities. However, this interim order of the Supreme Court has proved that the court is still the protector of constitutional rights and no government can be allowed to distort the structure of the Constitution in the arrogance of its power. He appealed to the people to have faith in constitutional institutions and believe that no power can last long in front of the truth. He said that today is a ray of hope for all those citizens who were worried about the implementation of this law for the last several months.

It is worth noting that last year the BJP government at the Center got the Waqf Amendment Bill passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the basis of its numerical majority. Many petitions were filed against this law from different states of the country, in which the stance was taken that this amendment law is not only against the spirit of the Indian Constitution, but also directly attacks the constitutional rights of the minorities. Today, the Supreme Court of the country issued an important interim order and stayed the implementation of many provisions of this controversial amendment law. This decision not only weakened the government’s position, but also provided temporary relief to millions of people concerned about this law. This move of the court is being seen in political, social and legal circles as a demonstration of the supremacy of the Constitution.

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh has welcomed the interim stay granted by the Supreme Court on Monday on some provisions of the Waqf Board (Amendment) Act, 2025 and expressed satisfaction.

On the court’s decision, Raees Sheikh said that the committee of the Waqf Board can have a maximum of four non-Muslim members. That is, a majority of the 11 should be with Muslims. The court has directed that wherever possible, the Chief Executive Officer of the board should be a Muslim.

The condition for becoming a member of the Waqf Board was to practice Islam for five years. The provision was suspended saying that this provision will not be implemented until the government makes clear laws. Raees Sheikh said that the court’s clarification that the Waqf Board cannot be deprived of its property until the ownership of the Waqf property is decided by the Waqf Tribunal and the High Court is a slap in the face of the central government.

This decision is temporary. No decision can be made until the rules of this law are formulated. But this interim decision is satisfactory and increases confidence in the court.

Navi Mumbai and large parts of Mumbai were inundated on Monday following heavy overnight and early-morning rains that led to serious waterlogging, road closures, and traffic chaos.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red nowcast warning for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad districts early in the morning, forecasting intense to very intense showers, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds for the next few hours.

Many areas like Turbhe, Vashi, Kharghar and Sanpada have waterlogging at knees length making difficulty for commuters and even the shops to stay open. Videos of the areas are massively circulating on social media platforms

Andheri, Khar (Vakola), Panbai School North Bound Slip Road, King’s Circle, Lalbaug, Worli, Dadar, Parel, Kurla, significant water accumulation, up to 1 to 1.5 feet in some subways, has brought vehicular movement to a crawl. Suburban train services experienced delays of 10-15 minutes at stations like Bandra, Kurla, and Dadar, largely due to waterlogging on tracks.

Between Sunday night and the Monday morning, Mumbai’s Colaba observatory recorded over 100 mm of rainfall, with Santacruz, Bandra, Byculla, Juhu and eastern/western suburbs also seeing heavy downpours. The Island City averaged 111 mm. Localities prone to flooding saw potholes, submerged roads, and critical infrastructure under strain.

The IMD has upgraded alerts for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad are under red/nowcast warnings; Palghar, Pune & other adjoining regions have seen yellow or orange alerts depending on intensity.

The forecast for the coming 24-48 hours remains grim, heavy to very heavy rain expected at isolated places, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) are likely. Some relief may come after this period, but low-lying and coastal areas remain at high risk.