Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Chhattisgarh government has proposed a new rule requiring mosque preachers (Khatibs) to get prior approval from the state Waqf Board before delivering Friday sermons (Khutbah). The government says no sermon should be delivered without the Waqf Board’s consent.

The move has sparked controversy with critics arguing it interferes with religious freedom. The Waqf Board plans to review and approve sermons before they are given, but many believe this oversteps its authority.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has criticized the proposal saying it violates Article 25 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees the right to freely practice and propagate one’s religion.

In an X post he said that the Waqf Board has no legal rights to dictate when prayers should be called.

“The Waqf Board of the BJP government of Chhattisgarh wants that before delivering the Friday sermon, the Khatib should get his sermon checked by the Waqf Board and should not deliver the sermon without the permission of the Board,” read his X post.

“Now the BJP people will tell us what is Deen? Now do we have to take permission from them to follow our Deen? The Waqf Board does not have any such legal power, even if it had, it would still be against Article 25 of the Constitution,” the X post continued.

The policy is still under discussion, and it is unclear if it will be implemented statewide.