Waqf Joint Parliamentary Committee to hold discussions on Bill on January 24, 25

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill will hold clause by clause-by-clause discussion on the law on January 24 and 25. The panel led by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal is expected to submit its final report on the Bill on the last day of the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament. The session will commence on January 31 and culminate on April 4.

Panel members, who are currently touring Patna, Kolkata and Lucknow, have been holding deliberations with representatives of local Waqf boards and minority welfare departments. It will now meet representatives of the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board and officials of the state’s Minority Welfare Ministry in Lucknow.

Speaking to mediapersons in Kolkata on Monday, Pal said, “We are going to present the report in the Budget session.”

“The JPC has been meeting continuously for the last six months, holding meetings across the country. I am confident that we will all come to a consensus and present our report. Last time, we had to present it in the winter session but it was extended, so we are going to present the report in the Budget session,” he added.

The Bill was referred to the panel soon after it was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2024, as several opposition parties had objected to its contents. They had alleged that through the Bill, the Centre wanted to control lands currently under various Waqf boards.