TVK's Vijay faces Fatwa over Iftar guest list, film controversies

Bareilly: The President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, has issued a fatwa against Tamil actor-turned-politician Vijay, who heads the Tamil Nadu Vijay Karthik (TVK) party.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Razvi Bareilvi criticised Vijay for allegedly portraying Muslims in a poor light in his films and for inviting individuals linked with gambling and alcohol consumption to his Iftar gathering.

“Negative portrayal of Muslims in films”

“He (Vijay) has launched a political party and maintained good relations with Muslims. However, in his films, he has shown Muslims in a negative light, depicting them as terrorists,” said Razvi Bareilvi. “Gamblers and people who consume alcohol were invited to his Iftar party. Because of all this, Sunni Muslims in Tamil Nadu are upset with him. They requested a fatwa. In response, I issued one stating that Muslims should not support Vijay,” he added.

Meanwhile, the TVK leader has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The case was heard on Wednesday by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan.

During the hearing, the bench suggested the possibility of issuing an interim order to halt some key provisions of the recently passed law. The court also expressed concern about recent violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.

“The one thing that is very disturbing is the violence that is taking place. The issue is before the court, and we will decide,” said the Chief Justice. Although no final order was passed, the bench indicated that it may temporarily suspend certain aspects of the Act.

Possible stay on select provisions

The proposed interim order may include the following: properties declared as Waqf by courts will not be de-notified, even if they are not Waqf by usage; District Collectors may continue with proceedings, but specific new clauses would not be applied; and non-Muslims may be excluded from appointments to the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, where members must be Muslim except for ex-officio posts.

CJI Khanna was preparing to dictate the order when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, along with other defending counsels, requested to be heard first.

The court agreed and scheduled the next hearing for Thursday at 2 pm