The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, will meet the All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Wednesday. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. today at the Parliament House Annexe, and the committee will hear the board's views or suggestions on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Recently, the delegation of Darul Uloom Deoband has strongly opposed the proposed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
According to sources, Maulana Arshad Madani, who spoke for nearly two hours during a meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on December 11, expressed serious concern about the implications of the bill. "If these amendments are implemented, the security of Muslim places of worship will be in jeopardy," he warned. "
According to sources, the Darul Uloom Deoband delegation also submitted a 22-point suggestion to the committee outlining the reasons for rejecting the bill. This was the first meeting after the JPC's term extension.
During the meeting, Maulana Arshad Madani expressed serious concern about the proposed amendments, especially their impact on the historical and religious places. "India has many ancient mosques and places of worship and even after several centuries it is almost impossible to trace their original donors or wakifs," he said. The proposed amendments have significant flaws, raising doubts on the intent behind them. "
Recently, the Lok Sabha approved the proposal to extend the tenure of the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and ordered its report to be submitted by the end of the 2025 budget session. On December 5, JPC chief Jagdambika Pal said the committee had held 27 meetings in Delhi before its term was extended. These meetings included discussions with several stakeholders and various Ministries of the Government of India. The JPC chairman emphasised that the purpose of consultations with various stakeholders and ministries is to prepare a detailed and comprehensive report on the matter.
The Waqf Act, 1995, enacted to regulate wakf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption and encroachment. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, better audit, better transparency, and a legal mechanism for the return of illegally occupied properties. The JPC has been holding extensive consultations with government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members and community representatives from various states and Union Territories to ensure sweeping changes in the law.
[Agency]