Team News Riveting
New Delhi, August 8
The bill that seeks to amend the Waqf Act, 1995 is being hailed by a section as a necessary step towards modernizing the management of religious endowments.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. According to legal experts, the Bill will work towards modernizing the administration and maintenance of Waqf properties. Its provisions for broader representation, including the inclusion of women and minority sects will promote inclusivity and democratization within the Waqf boards, they added.
The experts supported the district collectors’ involvement in deciding the Waqf property claims, arguing that it would provide an impartial arbiter and prevent arbitrary declarations. They also welcomed the inclusion of non-Muslim members in Waqf boards, suggesting that their technical expertise and diverse perspectives could improve the management and efficiency of these endowments.
The Bill to amend the law governing waqf boards proposes far-reaching changes in the Waqf Act, 1995, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill also aims at renaming the Act as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.
Amid huge objection by the Opposition, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said the Waqf (Amendment) Bill does not intend to interfere with the freedom of any religious body and that no provision of the Constitution has been violated. Responding to objections raised by several opposition members on the introduction of the bill in Lok Sabha, he said Waqf Act 1995 did not serve its purpose, hence the amendment was planned.
“I want to tell Congress these amendments are being brought to achieve what you (Congress) couldn’t,” he said. Defending the amendments, Rijiju said a joint parliamentary committee had recommended that Waqf Act 1995 should be re-looked and hence was not passed in the Lok Sabha. “…We are not running away anywhere. So, if this has to be referred to any committee, I would like to speak on behalf of my govt – a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) be formed, this Bill be referred to it & detailed discussion be held…”
While the NDA allies JD(U) and TDP on Thursday backed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, saying it was aimed at bringing transparency in the functioning of the Waqf Board, the Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress opposed it by calling it ‘politically motivated.’
