NEW DELHI: The Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendments) Bill Joint Committee has decided to seek time till the end of the budget session to scrutinise the controversial amendments. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagdambika Pal, who chairs the panel, will move a formal resolution in the Lok Sabha to seek the House’s approval on Thursday.
The panel decided to seek more time at its meeting on Wednesday. The panel, led by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal, was tasked to submit the report by November 29, the last day of the first week of the session.
Pal told reporters after Wednesday’s meeting that the committee was unanimous in its view as it has to listen to some other stakeholders, including six states, where there are disputes between the waqf and the state governments.
He explained: “Today we asked some questions to the Ministry of Minority Affairs. They will answer those questions. We had a few questions that there are 123 properties of Govt of India in Delhi dating back to 1911… Later the Waqf Board laid its claim on those properties. So, for clarification on that Ministry of Urban Development and DDA will have to be called. Similarly, Odisha, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bihar – a total of six states – where government properties are being claimed by the Waqf. So, we told the ministry’s secretary today that we have not received the response on this… So, we will also have to call state’s chief secretaries or secretaries of Minority Affairs in states…”
BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said the committee will request that the deadline for submission of the JPC report should be extended to the last day of Parliament’s Budget Session 2025.
The controversial bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August. The draft bill proposed sweeping changes in the regulation and governance of India’s waqf boards, which manage Islamic charitable endowments. The government argued that the bill would modernise an archaic and complex system in line with recommendations of the 2006 Rajinder Sachar Committee. However, the Opposition demanded greater scrutiny of the bill, alleging that it would hurt the Muslim community.
