Waqf Bill cleared by Parliamentary committee

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, chaired by BJP leader Jagdambika Pal, cleared the said Bill Monday amidst high drama and strong opposition from non-NDA members.

The Bill, which aims to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to address challenges in regulating and managing Waqf properties, has sparked heated debates between the ruling and opposition parties.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee lambasted JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal, accusing him of conducting "farce proceedings" and called it a 'bad day' for democracy.


“Today, they did whatever they had fixed. They didn’t allow us to speak. No rules or procedures have been followed. Initially, we had asked for documents, representations, and comments. All those things have not been supplied to us. They started clause-by-clause discussion. We said, first let's discuss. Jagdambika Pal did not allow discussion at all. He then brought in the Amendment Motion. We were not all allowed to speak in the Amendment Motion. He himself moved, counted, and declared. All amendments have been passed. Our amendments have been rejected, and theirs have been allowed. This was a farce proceeding. This is a black day of democracy... Jagdambika Pal is the greatest blacklister of democracy. He is a man who has destroyed democracy,” Banerjee said after the meeting ended.

Waqf Bill: Key amendments

Over 572 amendments to the draft legislation had been proposed by members from both sides of the aisle, with 444 amendments formally submitted for consideration. One of the significant changes proposed by the JPC is the omission of the provision of 'Waqf by user' in the existing law. Under the amended Bill, existing Waqf properties being used for religious purposes cannot be questioned based on the 'Waqf by user' doctrine, which has been a point of contention in past property disputes.

Pal stated that the NDA members’ amendments in 14 of the Bill’s 44 clauses were accepted, while all amendments moved by the opposition were defeated by vote. Opposition members had submitted hundreds of amendments to various clauses, but none of these found favor with the committee.

However, during the previous clause-by-clause discussion, chaos erupted, prompting the suspension of ten opposition MPs, including AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee, for a day.

The suspension motion was moved by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, further escalating tensions in the already charged meeting.

(More to come)