The Centre is all set to make amendments to the Waqf Act to restrict the powers of the Waqf Board, sources told India Today on Sunday. The Cabinet approved a total of 40 amendments to the act on Friday. Sources told India Today that these amendments aim to restrict the Waqf Board’s authority to designate any property as “Waqf property”.
“As per the proposed amendments, all claims made by the Waqf Board on properties will undergo mandatory verification. A mandatory verification process is proposed for properties claimed by the Waqf Board,” the sources said, adding that the bill for these amendments is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week.
In 2013, the UPA government bolstered the authority of these boards through amendments to the original Waqf Act, 1995. This act was established to regulate ‘auqaf’ — assets donated and designated as waqf — by a wakif, the individual who dedicates property for purposes recognised by Muslim law as pious, religious, or charitable.
The proposed amendments aim to enhance inclusivity by ensuring women’s representation on the Central Waqf Council and state boards. “The government had previously taken note of the extensive rights of state Waqf Boards to claim any property and the delays in surveying such properties in most states,” the sources said. To prevent misuse of properties, the government has considered involving district magistrates in monitoring Waqf properties.
In March last year, the Centre had told the Delhi High Court that nearly 120 writ petitions challenging one or more provisions of the Waqf Act were pending before various courts in the country. The Centre’s submission came during a hearing on a PIL by lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
This story was originally published in businesstoday.in. Read the full story here.
