Waqf Bill: Parliamentary panel members suggest 572 amendments

Members of the parliamentary panel on the Waqf Amendment Bill have suggested 572 amendments to the draft legislation that has the government and the opposition at loggerheads.

The consolidated list of amendments was circulated by the Joint Committee on Waqf Amendment Bill, chaired by BJP leader Jagdambika Pal, late on Sunday as the panel’s hearing entered the last lap.

The Committee will discuss the clause-by-clause amendments at its meeting on Monday.

Members of the BJP and those from the opposition have submitted amendments to the Bill. However, none of the BJP’s allies figure in the list of members who have submitted the amendments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was referred to the joint committee of Parliament on August 8 following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

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