Anwarulhaq Baig
New Delhi :At the second Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting, many members and Muslim organizations, including Indian Muslims for Civil Rights (IMCR), presented compelling arguments against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, criticizing provisions such as the transfer of powers from survey commissioners to district collectors, the removal of the ‘Waqf by user’ clause, and the requirement for five years of Islamic practice before donating property for charitable use.
Sources report that the IMCR delegation, which included Chairman Mohammed Adeeb, IMCR trustee Advocate Fuzail Ayyubi, and Joint Secretary Retd. (RS) Mohammed Khalid Khan, engaged in a forceful presentation of their objections to the bill. The group reportedly provided detailed logic and reasoning to support their stance against the almost all amendments.
The JPC, headed by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal, also heard from other stakeholders during the day-long session on Friday at the Parliament House Annexe. Representatives from the All India Sunni Jamiyatul Ulama of Mumbai, the Sunni Central Waqf Board from Uttar Pradesh, and the Rajasthan Board of Muslim Waqf were among those who met with the JPC.
Jagdambika Pal posted on X that during a recent Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting in New Delhi on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, oral evidence was heard from various stakeholders including the All India Sunni Jamiyyat-ul-Ulama Mumbai, Indian Muslims for Civil Rights (IMCR), the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Boards, and the Rajasthan Muslim Waqf.
Later, he also noted that at his residence in Delhi, a delegation of religious leaders and Muslim scholars, led by Hazrat Syed Nasiruddin Chishti, successor of the Ajmer Dargah and President of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council, presented their views on the Waqf Board.
According to sources, even opposition members staged a walkout following a heated exchange with ruling party MPs. This marks the second time the JPC has convened to discuss the Bill amid rising opposition, highlighting the divisive nature of the proposed legislation.
In an effort to gather a wide range of perspectives, the JPC has invited public input on the bill. On Friday, August 30, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a press release seeking feedbacks from public regarding the bill. The JPC is seeking memoranda from the public, NGOs, experts, and institutions, with written suggestions to be sent in English or Hindi to the Joint Secretary at the Lok Sabha Secretariat or via email at [email protected]. All comments must be submitted within 15 days from the publication date of the advertisement.