Govt. sends Waqf bill to joint parliamentary committee review

Rijiju defended the bill against opposition claims of it being "unconstitutional," stating it does not interfere with religious freedom or violate the Constitution. The bill seeks to ensure broader representation within Waqf bodies, including Muslim women and non-Muslims, and to streamline Waqf property registration and management through a centralized portal.

New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 in Parliament, proposing it be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for broader scrutiny. The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act by omitting Section 40, which relates to the powers of Waqf boards to determine if a property is Waqf.

According to its statement of objects and reasons, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 seeks to omit Section 40 of the current law relating to the powers of the board to decide if a property is Waqf.

Rijiju defended the bill which the Opposition called “unconstitutional”. Many opposition MPs, who had given notices to oppose the bill, alleged that the proposed legislation was an "attack on the Constitution and federalism". However, Rijiju claimed that there were many senior leaders in the Opposition who approved the Bill in private.

Responding to the concerns flagged by opposition members, Rijiju said there will be no interference with freedom of any religious body in the Waqf bill. He asserted that no provision of the Constitution had been violated in the draft law.

The amended bill provides for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the state Waqf boards and ensures the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies. The Wakf (Amendment) Act, 2013 provided that "at least two of the members appointed under sub-clauses (i) to (viii) shall be women." "The new bill also gives women positions as members but adds that "the creation of waqf-alal-aulad does not lead to the denial of inheritance rights to women".

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