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NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday rejected opposition members’ criticism that the government wants to interfere in the religious conduct of Muslims through the Waqf Amendment Bill and said the provisions in the legislation aim at better management of Waqf properties.
Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Amit Shah said that the bill would not be implemented with retrospective effect and opposition members were trying to mislead and create fear among members of Muslim community.
“I stand in support of the Bill introduced by my ministerial colleague. I have been carefully hearing the discussion going on since 12 noon…I feel that there are several misconceptions among several Members, either genuinely or politically. Also, through this House, attempts are being made to spread those misconceptions across the country,” he said.
Amit Shah said that there is no provision in the bill for appointment of non-Muslims in the processes related to the religion.
“Waqf Act and Board came into effect in 1995. All the arguments about the inclusion of non-Muslims inclusion are about interference in the Waqf. First of all, no non-Muslim would come into the Waqf. Understand this clearly…There is no such provision to include any non-Muslim among those who manage the religious institutions; we do not want to do this…This is a huge misconception that this Act will interfere with the religious conduct of Muslims and interfere with the property donated by them. This misconception is being spread to instil fear among minorities for their vote bank,” he said.
“Where will non-Muslim members be included? In Council and Waqf Board. What would they do? They won’t run any religious activity. They would only look after the administration of property donated by someone under Waqf Law, whether it is being done as per law, whether the property is being used for the intent with which it was donated,” he added.
Amit Shah said that a person can donate only property that belongs to him and cannot donate property which belongs to the government or any other individual.
He said changes have been made only in provisions related to Council and Board in the 1995 Act, which deal with administrative tasks.
Moving the bill for passing in the House, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the bill will not be applicable retrospectively and the Centre is not seeking more powers.
“When our country has the largest Waqf property in the world, why hasn’t it been used for the education, medical treatment, skill development, and income generation of poor Muslims? Why has no progress been made in this regard so far?” Rijiju said.
Along with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Rijiju also moved the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.
The bill was earlier presented in the Lok Sabha in August last year and a Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, examined it.
The bill seeks to amend the Act of 1995. The Bill seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India. It aims to overcome the shortcomings of the previous act and enhance the efficiency of Waqf boards, improving the registration process and increasing the role of technology in managing waqf records.
