Union Cabinet Approves Waqf (Amendment) Bill: The Union Cabinet has approved the revised Waqf (Amendment) Bill with the proposed changes, The India Express reported citing sources. The Cabinet has reportedly approved 14 out of the 23 changes which were proposed by a joint parliamentary committee. These changes were for the laws that regulate central and state Waqf boards, managing Muslim charitable properties in India. The amended bill is now expected to be tabled when the House reconvenes on March 10.
What is the controversial Waqf Bill?
Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, had introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha in 2024 for changing the Waqf Act, 1995, and adjusting the Waqf board’s powers, despite several objections from opposition parties.
According to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the goal of the Bill is to address issues in the regulation of Waqf properties in India by fixing the problems posed by the old law. It includes changes like renaming the Act, updating the definitions of Waqf, improving the registration process, and using more technology to manage Waqf records.
Waqf (Amendment) Bill: What are the key changes that have been approved?
As per a News18 report, some of the changes that have been approved are as following:
- Two Muslim women will continue to be members of both the State Waqf Boards (Section 14) and the Central Waqf Council (Section 9) to push empowerment and involvement of Muslim women in waqf management.
- One member from the Muslim OBC community will now be included in the State Waqf Boards.
- State government may set up separate Waqf Boards for the Aghakhani and Bohra communities.
- In family waqfs (Waqf Alal Aulad), a woman’s inheritance rights will be protected. A waqif can only dedicate property if female heirs get their rightful share.
On February 13, opposition parties in the JCP claimed that parts of the dissent notes submitted by their MPs had been removed without their knowledge. Later that day, the government agreed to restore some of the removed sections with a correction to Appendix V of the JCP report. The BJP is confident that the Bill will pass when it is voted on in the House, IE said.