Green signal to the Waqf Bill! The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed by the joint parliamentary committee. A total of 44 amendments were proposed in the draft bill. Of these, 14 amendments have been made to the bill.
The draft bill was supposed to be submitted on November 29 last year, but the term of the committee was later extended till February 13, the last day of the first half of the budget session. According to sources, the amendments made by the opposition in the Waqf Bill have been rejected. A final vote on the 14 amendments to the draft bill is expected to take place on January 29. The final report will be submitted on January 31.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, which was tabled in Parliament, was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for review following objections from the Opposition.
BJP MP and joint parliamentary committee chairman Jagdambika Pal said, "A total of 44 amendments to the Waqf Act were discussed. After six months of deliberations, 14 amendments were adopted in the final meeting on the basis of a majority vote. The opposition also recommended amendments. Every proposal was discussed and voted on. There were 10 votes in favour of their proposal and 16 votes in opposition."
Last week, 10 MPs, including TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, were suspended for their scuffle over the JPC meeting. Earlier in October, Kalyan Banerjee had smashed a glass bottle during an altercation with BJP MP Abhijit Ganguly during a JPC meeting.
What amendments were proposed in the Waqf Bill?
· The Waqf Council cannot claim the right to any land.
· Waqf property can be donated only after practicing Islam for at least 5 years.
· It was proposed to add non-Muslim members and at least two women members to the Waqf Board.
· It was proposed to include a non-Muslim Union minister, three MPs, two former justices, and senior government officials in the Central Waqf Council.
The central government has proposed amendments to the Waqf Act mainly to increase the power of Muslim women and children in property.
