The Waqf Board Act is reportedly being amended in 32–40 ways, some of which might limit the Waqf Board’s authority.
According to reports, the central government is thinking of changing the Waqf Act, which would limit the Waqf Board’s authority. The sources state that the Waqf Board Act is presently being amended in 32–40 different ways.
Parliament initially enacted the Waqf Act in 1954. It was then repealed, and in 1995 a new Waqf Act was created, giving Waqf Boards further authority. This Act was further revised in 2013 to grant the Waqf Board extensive authority to designate the property as “Waqf Property.”
It is anticipated that the Waqf Board would be required under the proposed modifications to register its property with the District Collector’s office for it to be assessed.
“Muslims were questioning why the Waqf Board law wasn’t being changed by the government. Ordinary Muslims are not participate in Waqf; only strong individuals do. There are revenue concerns, it is forbidden for anybody to calculate revenue, and there are claims of corruption. Waqf properties are off limits to intervention by the federal or state governments. However, for the property to be assessed following the revision, the Waqf Board would need to register it with the District Collector’s office, according to the sources.
“A committee should be established to look into Waqf’s revenue and guarantee openness. Only Muslims should profit from waqf holdings. Waqf members were able to claim ownership of assets after the change was adopted in 2013,” the source continued.
By guaranteeing the presence of women in state bodies and the Central Waqf Council, the revisions also seek to improve inclusion.
“Previously, women were not included in Waqf or counseling; this will change. Previously, decisions taken by the Waqf Board could not be appealed to the high court,” the source stated. The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, meanwhile, said that it would never consent to any alterations to the Waqf Act.
“All India Muslim Personal Law Board considers it necessary to clarify that any such change in Waqf Act 2013, which changes the status and nature of Waqf properties or makes it easier for the government or any individual to usurp them, will never be accepted,” according to an AIPLMB statement.
“Similarly, any reduction or limitation of the rights of Waqf Boards will also not be tolerated at all,” the AIMPLB stated.
Asaduddin Owaisi, an AIMIM MP, said that the government intended to strip the Waqf Board of its independence.
“First, the central government informs the media instead of the Parliament during a session of Parliament, thereby undermining parliamentary privileges and supremacy. I can state that all of the media coverage of this proposed change indicates the Modi government’s desire to meddle and strip the Waqf Board of its autonomy. This in and of itself violates religious freedom,” he declared.
However, BJP spokesman Shazia Ilmi supported the government’s intention to modify the statute, arguing that the board needed to be cleaned out of corruption.
“This needs a lot of work in the improving department. The Waqf Board is the largest landowner in our nation, with the exception of Defense and Railways. It was given unrestricted authority under an Act that was created in 1954 and revised in 1995. Under the board’s name, 8,50,000 properties are registered. “Waqf is not a concept in Islamic countries like Syria, Lebanon, or Turkey,” the speaker stated.
“There is a great deal of corruption there. It is not helping the average Muslim; only those who have hijacked the land are profiting from it. In Delhi, the Waqf Board is in charge of 77% of the land. In this, certain people are acting in mafia-like ways. The need to combat corruption is vital. The government has one national body and thirty-two state Waqf boards, but Shazia pointed out that there is a great deal of room for corruption in the process of choosing these boards.
These Waqf Act revisions are probably going to be introduced by the government during current budget session, which ends on August 12.
