– Union Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 in Parliament and proposed to send it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for wider scrutiny.
– The bill seeks to omit Section 40 relating to the powers of the board to decide if a property is Waqf.
– Opposition MPs called the bill “unconstitutional” and an “attack on the Constitution and federalism”.
– Rijiju defended the bill, stating that it does not violate any provisions of the Constitution and ensures no interference with the freedom of any religious body.
– The amended bill provides for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf boards with representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims.
– The bill also proposes the establishment of a separate board for Boharas and Aghakhanis and aims to clearly define “Waqf as Waqf by any person practising Islam for at least five years and having ownership of such property”.