The Union Cabinet has given its nod to amendments in the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, sources revealed on Thursday. The Cabinet approved 14 modifications suggested by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC), which had been scrutinising the Bill since August last year.
The JPC had presented its final report in the House on 13 February, following intense confrontations between the opposition and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies over the panel's structure and decision-making process.
The opposition had accused the JPC chairman, BJP MP Jagadambika Pal, of bias and of expediting the legislative process without adequate consultation.
Over the past six months, the committee convened nearly three dozen sessions, many of which descended into disorder, culminating in an incident of physical altercation.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee had reportedly smashed a glass bottle on a table, alleging provocation from BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
During the deliberations, a total of 66 amendments were proposed. All 44 recommendations from opposition members were discarded, whereas 23 suggestions from BJP and its allies were incorporated into the Bill, further escalating tensions.
Also read: No objection to dissent notes in Waqf Bill report: Amit Shah
The committee comprised 16 MPs from the ruling alliance and only 10 from the opposition.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill outlines 44 revisions to existing laws governing central and state Waqf boards, which oversee Muslim charitable properties across the nation.
Among the proposed modifications is the inclusion of non-Muslim members and at least two women in every Waqf Board.
Additionally, a Union Minister, three Members of Parliament, and four distinguished individuals of 'national repute' are to be nominated to the Central Waqf Council.
Another contentious change mandates that only practicing Muslims for at least five years will be eligible to donate to Waqf properties. This provision has sparked debate over the definition of a 'practicing Muslim'.
A further significant revision involves the appointment of a state-nominated officer to determine whether a property qualifies as Waqf, a responsibility initially vested in the District Collector. Additionally, the new framework prohibits the Waqf Council from claiming land.
Sources close to the government had earlier suggested that the amendments were aimed at enhancing the rights of Muslim women and children, who had "suffered under the existing regulations."
However, opposition leaders, including Congress' KC Venugopal, have sharply criticised the Bill, calling it a "direct attack on religious freedom."
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, one of the Bill’s most vocal detractors, along with DMK’s Kanimozhi, has raised constitutional concerns, arguing that the proposed changes infringe upon Article 15 (the right to freely practise one’s religion) and Article 30 (the right of minority communities to establish and administer their educational institutions).
Also read: Opposition MPs call Waqf Bill report 'biased', stage walkout from RS
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