New Delhi: Notwithstanding the strong opposition and huge controversy, the landmark and controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed by the Lok Sabha late tonight, with 288 members voting in its favour and 232 against it.
The legislation, which the government said seeks to improve the administration of Waqf properties and introduce technology-led management to create transparency, was passed by the Lower House of Parliament after an extensive debate which began at noon on Wednesday and went on till over 1 AM.
During the debate, which was interspersed by heated exchanges and banter, the BJP-led government insisted that the aim behind amending the law was to make things related to the Muslim Waqf properties better.
The Opposition parties, however, expressed apprehensions, saying the move amounted to trampling upon the religious matters of Muslims.
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, while moving the amendment bill with suggestions from a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) said there was nothing in the bill that would hurt the interests of Muslims.
He said the consultation process of the JPC was the largest ever exercise carried out by a parliamentary panel in India’s democratic history.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his intervention, also insisted that there would be no interference in Muslim matters or properties.
Describing such apprehensions as fear-mongering for vote-bank politics, he said non-Muslims in Waqf councils and boards are only for administration, not religious affairs.
The highly contentious bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2024.
It proposes 40 amendments to the provisions of the Waqf Act, including modifications such as Muslim women and non-Muslim representation in the Waqf boards and sweeping changes in the regulation and governance of India’s Waqf boards.
At present, the majority of the Waqf board members are elected, but once the new Bill formally becomes law, all the members will be nominated by the government
The new law will make it mandatory for Waqf boards to register their properties with district collectors to ensure their actual valuation.
As per the 1995 Act, Waqf means “the permanent dedication of movable or immovable property for the purposes enshrined in Islam as pious, religious, or charitable.”
Ruling NDA partners Telugu Desam and Janata Dal (United) backed the bill.
Urging the opposition to speak responsibly, Shah said a misconception was being spread, that the legislation would have a retrospective effect. He said the Bill clearly states that the Law will come into effect after the notification is issued by the Government when the Bill is passed.
Earlier in the day, Rijiju introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024’ in the Lower House amidst pandemonium as Opposition members resorted to sloganeering and tried to disrupt the proceedings.
Rijiju said the government wants “a secular and an inclusive Waqf Board” with non-Muslim members as well as women.
Rijiju rebuffed Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi’s allegation that this Bill is aimed at defaming and disfranchising minorities and dividing the country.
Vehemently opposing the bill on his social media handle X, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi described it as a “weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights.”
Gandhi alleged that the legislation was pushed by the RSS, BJP, and their allies and was part of a larger attack on the Constitution and undermined the rights of religious minorities.
“The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is a weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims and usurping their personal laws and property rights,” he posted.
“This attack on the Constitution by the RSS, BJP and their allies is aimed at Muslims today but sets a precedent to target other communities in the future,” he said.
in his speech, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, “In 2023, there were five meetings of Minority Affairs Ministry but never was there any discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill. I even doubt whether this Bill has been brought by the Minority Affairs Ministry or some other department”.
He said the situation of minorities in the country has reached a point where the government now asks them to prove their religion.
He asked whether similar proof would be demanded from people of other religions to verify if they have completed five years. “Why is this requirement included in the bill? Why is the government intruding into religious matters?” he posed. UNI
