The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Friday after yet another marathon debate. The voting was 128 votes in favour of the contentious bill and 95 against.
The bill will now be forwarded to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent, following which it will become an Act.
The development comes after the Lok Sabha on Thursday approved the Bill after a debate that lasted over 12 hours. In the lower house, the bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 opposed it.
What Kiren Rijiju Said In Rajya Sabha
Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought with a number of amendments based on suggestions given by various stakeholders.
“The Waqf Board is a statutory body. All government bodies should be secular,” the minister said, explaining the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board. However, he said the number of non-Muslims has been limited to only four out of 22.
“You (opposition) are pushing Muslims out of the mainstream,” he added.
Rijiju also alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties, and not the BJP, were trying to scare Muslims with the Waqf Bill, saying that they were “pushing Muslims out of the mainstream”.
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“Muslims are poor, who is responsible? You (Congress) are. Modi is now leading the government to uplift them,” the minister said.
A few hours before the voting, Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patkaik opened the gates for a “conscience vote’ and told the party’s seven upper house MPs that they would not be bound by a whip and could vote for whichever side they wanted to.
In a post on X, senior BJD leader Sasmit Patra said they took that view after keeping in mind the sentiments of “different sections of the Minority communities regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill”.
What The Bill Proposes
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill introduces several reforms aimed at imoroving the governance and transparency of Waqf institutions. It proposes strengthening Waqf tribunals by instituting a structured selection process and fixed tenures to ensure efficient dispute resolution.
The Bill reduces the mandatory contribution from Waqf institutions to Waqf Boards from 7 percent to 5 percent. Institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh annually will be subject to audits conducted by state-appointed auditors.
In order to streamline operations and enhance transparency, a centralised digital portal will be developed for managing Waqf properties. The Bill also seeks to reinstate pre-2013 provisions allowing practising Muslims which includes those with at least five years of continuous practice to dedicate their property to the Waqf.
It further mandates that women must receive their rightful inheritance before any property is declared as Waqf, with additional protections in place for widows, divorced women, and orphans.
Moreover, any government property claimed as Waqf must be investigated by an officer not below the rank of collector. To promote inclusivity, the Bill also proposes including non-Muslim members in both central and state Waqf Boards.
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