The Waqf Amendment Bill proposes several changes to laws governing central and state boards, which decide how Muslim charitable properties are administered. The bill had been first tabled in the Lower House in August last year, after which it was sent to a joint parliamentary committee for scrutiny. The JPC submitted its report in February.
Eventually, 66 changes were proposed, of which all 44 from the opposition were rejected while the 23 from BJP and allied parties were accepted. After a vote, 14 of the 23 were cleared.
The JPC had 16 MPs from the BJP and allied parties, and 10 from the opposition.
The original draft of the Waqf Amendment Bill had proposed 44 changes.
These included nominating non-Muslim and (at least two) women members to each Waqf board, as well as a Union Minister, three MPs and persons of ‘national repute’. There was also a proposal to limit donations from Muslims practicing their religion for at least five years.
The proposals were fiercely criticised by the opposition; senior Congress leader KC Venugopal said it amounted to a “direct attack on the freedom of religion”.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and the DMK’s Kanimozhi also spoke out, arguing the bill violated multiple sections of the Constitution, including Article 15 (the right to practice a religion of one’s choice) and Article 30 (the right to minority communities to establish and administer educational institutions).
