Waqf Amendment Bill 2025: In a significant move, Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday following a marathon debate lasting over 13 hours in the Rajya Sabha. The contentious bill, which the government lauded as a "historic reform" aimed at benefitting the minority community, drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties who branded it "anti-Muslim" and "unconstitutional". The high-decibel debate highlighted deep political divisions, with the government defending the bill as a long-awaited reform, while the Opposition accused it of infringing upon the rights of the minority community.
The government introduced the revised bill after incorporating the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which examined the legislation introduced in August last year. The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995 and improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill with 128 members voting in favour, while 95 opposed it. Its passage in the Lok Sabha occurred a day earlier on Thursday, where it was cleared with 288 votes supporting it against 232 dissenting votes.
How will the bill become an Act now?
Following the approval by both Houses of Parliament, the bill would now be presented to the President of India. If the President gives assent, the bill will officially become an Act of Parliament. This final step is crucial, as a bill only attains the status of an Act after being cleared by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, followed by presidential approval. However, if the President chooses to return the bill for reconsideration, it is sent back to Parliament, where lawmakers may opt to revise it or retain it as is. Upon being resubmitted to the President, assent becomes mandatory to make the bill into a law regardless of previous reservations.
Waqf Amendment Bill
The Bill aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records. Introducing the bill in Parliament, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the consultation process of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was the largest ever exercise carried out by a parliamentary panel in India's democratic history.
He said over 97.27 lakh petitions, memorandums were received by the JPC through physical and online formats and the JPC had gone through each of them before finalising its report. The minister said as many as 284 delegations submitted their views on the bill besides the Waqf boards of 25 states and Union Territories. Legal luminaries, charitable organisations, academicians and religious leaders, among others, have also submitted their opinions, he said.
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