Joint Parliamentary Committee passes Waqaf Bill

STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
Srinagar, January 29 (STC): Amid controversy of ‘undermining the rights of Muslims and threatening India’s federal structure’, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf concluded its meeting with the bill being approved by a narrow margin of 14 votes to 11. Opposition members who opposed the bill have been directed to submit their dissent notes by 4 PM today.
The draft of the bill was approved by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Monday, with 14 amendments proposed by members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The amendments were adopted through a majority vote, with 16 members supporting the changes and 10 opposing them, says a report.
“44 amendments were discussed clause by clause. After six months of detailed discussions, we sought amendments from all members. This was our final meeting… 14 amendments have been accepted by the committee based on a majority vote. Opposition also proposed amendments, but these were defeated with 10 votes in support and 16 votes against,” JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal said.
It’s worth mentioning that the Waqf Amendment Bill seeks to overhaul the Waqf Act of 1995, which governs the management of Waqf properties in India.
Among key changes the bill now designates a state government officer, rather than the District Collector, to determine if a property is a Waqf property. Besides, the bill’s provision requiring at least two non-Muslim members on the State Waqf Boards and Central Waqf Council has been modified to specify that these members must be non-Muslims.(STC)