JUDGMENT

Ghulam Mohammed, J.

These two writ petitions are filed praying this Court to declare provisions of the Wakf Act, 1995 (Central Act 43 of 1995) particularly Section 14 of the Wakf Act, unconstitutional, arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

2. WP No. 11349 of 1996 is filed by the Association of AP Saj jada Nasheens, Mutawallies & Khidmat Guzaran of Wakfs, Dargah Hazrath Shaikh-ji-hali, Urdu Shareef, Hyderabad, represented by its President Soofi Shah Mohd. Sabir Ali and WP No. 11728 of 1996 is filed by All India Shia Organization, Yakutpura, Hyderabad, represented by its Joint Secretary Mirza Mehdi Ali Baig. Since the relief sought for in these writ petitions is the same, they are taken up together for hearing and are being disposed of by a common judgment.

3. The facts in WP No. 11349 of 1996 are adverted to. It is stated that prior to the enactment of the Wakf Act, 1995, the Union Legislature had enacted the Wakf Act, 1954 and the provisions of the said Act held the field for the last about half a century in all the States of this country, though the Union Legislature and some of the State Legislatures have been making amendments from time to t