NEW DELHI: The joint committee of Parliament scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 has sought views and suggestions from stakeholders, experts and institutions within 15 days on the proposed changes to the law. Meanwhile, just as the first meeting of the 31-member committee led by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal last week, the second one Friday too was marked by occasional heated exchanges between BJP members and the opposition, which had opposed the bill in LS.The next meeting is scheduled for Sept 5-6.
According to sources, some of the keenly debated amendments on Friday included the one that proposes to give the power of survey of properties to declare them as waqf to the district collector. Concerns were also raised on the proposal to delete ‘waqf by user’ from the Act. Sources said the opposition walked out briefly to register its protest over a point of disagreement and then returned to the meeting that took up most of the day.
The joint committee chaired by Pal heard the views of stakeholders such as All India Sunni Jamiyatul Ulama, Mumbai; Delhi-based Indian Muslims for Civil Rights and the Sunni Waqf Boards of UP and Rajasthan.
Pal said, “We had said in the first meeting that if the govt has referred the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 to JPC, then we will call as many waqf boards of the country as possible, we will also call those who are part of our minority organisations. The govt’s view is that a better bill should come.”
According to a statement issued by LS secretariat, the panel has asked for “views/suggestions from general public and NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions in particular considering the wider implications of the bill”.
According to sources, some of the keenly debated amendments on Friday included the one that proposes to give the power of survey of properties to declare them as waqf to the district collector. Concerns were also raised on the proposal to delete ‘waqf by user’ from the Act. Sources said the opposition walked out briefly to register its protest over a point of disagreement and then returned to the meeting that took up most of the day.
The joint committee chaired by Pal heard the views of stakeholders such as All India Sunni Jamiyatul Ulama, Mumbai; Delhi-based Indian Muslims for Civil Rights and the Sunni Waqf Boards of UP and Rajasthan.
Pal said, “We had said in the first meeting that if the govt has referred the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 to JPC, then we will call as many waqf boards of the country as possible, we will also call those who are part of our minority organisations. The govt’s view is that a better bill should come.”
According to a statement issued by LS secretariat, the panel has asked for “views/suggestions from general public and NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions in particular considering the wider implications of the bill”.
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