Members of Parliament, including Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi who is also on the Join Parliamentary Committee of the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill 2024, on Monday submitted a request to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking an extension of the tenure of the Waqf Board Joint Working Committee.
In a letter addressed to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the members said, “We are writing to you to request that the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill be extended by a reasonable time. It must be noted that the Committee held its first meeting on August 22 and since then there have been 25 sittings where presentations were made by irrelevant organisations. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi state governments are yet to present before the committee. A few other stakeholders are still seeking time to present their views before the committee,”
The letter further states that the Waqf Amendment Bill is an expansive legislation that involves several major changes to existing laws. These changes will affect a large section of India’s population. Therefore, the period of three months is deemed insufficient for deliberation and may result in improper recommendations. In order to have proper consultation, and deliberation the committee’s tenure must be extended.
Upon receiving the letter, the Lok Sabha Speaker assured the MPs that he would look into the request and decide on the extension of the JWC.
Waqf Board Amendment Bill 2024
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the first significant piece of legislation introduced by the Modi 3.0 government, has sparked considerable controversy among Muslim organisations and the opposition.
The Bill, which seeks to streamline the registration process of Waqf properties via a central portal, was presented in the Parliament in August. It also proposes renaming the Waqf Act of 1995 as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Act.
Following its introduction, the JPC was formed.
(With inputs from IANS)
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