There is a long-standing demand from “poor Muslim groups” to amend the 2013 Waqf Act, Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju told The Hindu on Tuesday.
“Several groups have been demanding reforms to the Act,” Rijiju said on Tuesday. “Consultation with various groups has been going on for many years.”
His statement came after several groups and Opposition parties criticised the Union government’s plans to amend the legislation and accused the Narendra Modi government of attempting to “take away the autonomy” of the Waqf Board.
A waqf is a property given for a religious, educational or charitable cause by Muslims. In India, waqfs are governed under the Waqf Act. Each state has a Waqf Board led by a legal entity, who is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer a property.
On Friday, media reports, quoting unidentified persons aware of the matter, said that the Union Cabinet on Friday approved 40 amendments to the Act to restrict the powers of the Waqf Board.
Rijiju said on Tuesday that a decision to introduce a bill to amend the Act in the ongoing Parliament session was “still under consideration”, reported The Hindu.
On Monday, members of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council met the minister and said they are hopeful the amendments would be comprehensive and would “serve the interests of all stakeholders”.
A day earlier, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had said that changes to the Act “will not be acceptable” and restricting the powers of the Waqf Board will not be tolerated.
In a statement, the board quoted its spokesperson Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas as saying that the Waqf Act and the waqf properties are protected by the Constitution and the Shariat Application Act, 1937. “Therefore, the government cannot make any amendments that would change and alter the nature and status of these properties,” the statement quoted Ilyas as saying.
The board said that in decisions relating to the Muslim community taken by the Modi-led Union government, such as the law against triple talaq, the closure of the Maulana Azad Foundation, the restrictions on minority scholarships, “something has been taken away from them [Muslims] and nothing has been given”.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi also said that amending the Act would trample upon the freedom of religion and that the move was intended to grab waqf properties from Muslims.
Further, he also questioned why the details of the amendment bill were leaked to the media before it was circulated in Parliament.
“The Central government is acting against parliamentary supremacy and privileges and informing the media, and not informing Parliament about such a bill,” Owaisi was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
Maharashtra Congress leader Naseem Khan also said that the move threatens parliamentary procedures.
“The rules of the Waqf Board are very clear,” said Khan. “Once a Waqf, always Waqf. It means Waqf Board made by Parliament cannot be modified by Parliament. This shows BJP’s real respect for the Indian Constitution and democracy.”
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