JPC approves final report on proposed legislation on Waqf affairs
The amended version of the proposed law is to be submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla; it will come up during upcoming budget session in Parliament
A Joint Committee of Parliament on Wednesday(January 29) approved its final report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill for tabling in parliament during the coming budget session, igniting criticism from the Opposition.
Fourteen MPs from the ruling coalition gave their backing to the report while 11 MPs from the Opposition came out against it, accusing the JPC’s chairman of bias and partisanship.
The remaining members of the 31-member panel have time until 4 pm on Thursday to say whether they support or oppose the final report, said chairman Jagdambika Pal.
Also read: Waqf Amendment Bill infringes on religious freedom: Senior journalist
Budget session
Pal is likely to submit the amended version of the proposed law to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday. It will come up during the upcoming budget session in Parliament.
Opposition MPs, some of whom have given their dissent, slammed the exercise as undemocratic, claiming that they were given little time to study the final report and frame their dissent notes.
Arvind Sawant from the Shiv Sena (UBT) said all Opposition members will give their dissent.
Watch | Discussion I 'Waqf Bill will have a devastating effect on Muslims'
The proposed law
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was referred to the JPC in August following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju.
The Bill aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to address issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties. The proposed changes have come under criticism from the Opposition as well as Muslim representatives as interference in religious matters.