The Waqf Amendment Bill, approved by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on January 27, 2025, aims to reform the governance of Waqf boards in India. Key amendments include:
- Nomination of Non-Muslim Members: Allows for the nomination of non-Muslim members to Waqf boards.
- Inclusion of Women: Mandates at least two women representatives on Waqf boards.
- Central Waqf Council Composition: Requires that the central Waqf Council include a union minister, three MPs, two former judges, and four individuals of ‘national repute’.
- Loss of Land Claim Rights: Removes the Waqf Council’s ability to claim land.
- Donation Restrictions: Prohibits donations from Muslims who have been practicing their faith for less than five years.
- Removal of Waqf by User: Omits the provisions relating to the “waqf by user”.
- Survey Commissioner Replaced: Provides the functions of the Survey Commissioner to the Collector or any other officer not below the rank of Deputy Collector duly nominated by the Collector for the survey of waqf properties.
- Government Property as Waqf: The Bill states that any government property identified as waqf will cease to be so.
- Composition of the Central Waqf Council: Removes the requirement for the MPs, former judges, and eminent persons appointed to the Council to be Muslim. It further mandates that two members must be non-Muslims.
- Composition of Waqf Boards: Amends the Act to empower the state government to nominate one person from each of the groups to the Board. They need not be Muslims. It adds that the Board must have: (i) two non-Muslim members, and (ii) at least one member each from Shias, Sunnis, and Backward classes of Muslims.