Wed Jan 29 17:02:34 IST 2025: **Parliamentary Panel Approves Controversial Waqf Amendment Bill Amidst Opposition Dissent**

NEW DELHI – The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Wednesday approved the amended Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, with a 16-11 vote in favor. The Bill, which seeks to overhaul the 1995 Waqf Act, has been met with strong opposition from some members.

Opposition MPs criticized the process as undemocratic, claiming insufficient time to review the final report before submitting dissenting opinions. A deadline of 4 PM was given for dissent submissions. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant stated that all opposition members would submit dissenting notes.

The amended bill incorporates several key changes, including: guaranteeing representation for Muslim women and members of the OBC community on Waqf Boards; allowing for the establishment of separate Waqf Boards for the Aghakhani and Bohra communities; strengthening women’s inheritance rights in family waqfs; introducing online registration for waqf properties; clarifying the process for resolving disputes involving government property claimed as waqf; and removing the finality of Waqf Tribunal decisions, allowing appeals to the High Court. The bill also specifies that income from family waqfs can be used to support widows, divorced women, and orphans, if designated by the grantor.

The JPC chairman, Jagdambika Pal, is expected to submit the amended bill to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on August 8, 2024, aims to improve the regulation and management of Waqf properties in India. The contentious passage of the bill highlights ongoing disagreements regarding its impact and implementation.

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