Waqf JPC adopts draft report, amended version of proposed law with 16:11 majority. List of key provisions here

The Joint Parliamentary Committee evaluating the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 on Wednesday adopted the draft report as well as the amended version of the proposed law with a majority vote.

All the MPs who were a part of the discussions have been given time till 4 pm to submit their dissent, JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal said. He mentioned that while 16 members voted in favour of the proposed law, 11 opposed it. 

Some of the Opposition MPs who have already submitted their dissent said that the exercise was undemocratic. They claimed that they were given little time to study the final report and frame their dissent notes.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant said all the opposition MPs will give their dissent. Pal may submit the amended version of the proposed law to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, India Today reported. 

Here are key provisions of the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025:

1. Two Muslim women will continue to be included as members in both the State Waqf Boards (Section 14) and the Central Waqf Council (Section 9) to ensure Muslim women’s empowerment and participation in waqf management.
2. The State Waqf Boards will now include one member from the Muslim OBC community, ensuring broader representation (Section 14).
3. The State Government may establish separate Waqf Boards for Aghakhani and Bohra communities, acknowledging their distinct religious needs (Section 13).
4. In Waqf Alal Aulad (family waqfs), women’s inheritance rights will be safeguarded. A waqif can dedicate property only after ensuring that female heirs receive their rightful share (Section 3A(2)).
5. Registered Waqf by User will continue to be recognized as waqf, except in cases where the property is under dispute or owned by the government (Section 3(r)).
6. The Limitation Act will apply to all waqf-related cases from the commencement of this Act, ensuring timely resolution and preventing prolonged litigation (Section 107).
7. The online registration process will be introduced to automate the entire life cycle of waqf properties through the portal.
8. Waqf Boards must upload all waqf property details on a central portal within six months. The Waqf Tribunal may grant extensions on a case-by-case basis.
9. If a government property is claimed as waqf, an officer above the rank of Collector, notified by the State Government, will conduct an inquiry as per the law. Until the report is submitted, such government properties will not be treated as waqf (Section 3C).
10. Muslim trusts that function similarly to waqf but are governed by trust laws will be excluded from the Waqf Act, 1995, preventing legal conflicts (Section 2A).
11. The income from Waqf Alal Aulad can be used to support widows, divorced women, and orphans, if specified by the waqif (Section 3(r)(iv)).
12. The finality of tribunal decisions has been removed. Any aggrieved person can now appeal to the High Court within ninety days of the tribunal’s decision.
13. Online registration certificates of waqf properties will be issued through the portal.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, 2024, following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

The Bill aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to address issues and challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties.

(With inputs from Himanshu Mishra, Piyush Mishra)