New Delhi: The Waqf Amendment Bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours on Friday with 128 MPs voted in favour of it. Meanwhile, 95 MPs voted against the bill after a marathon debate of over 12 hours. The bill has now been passed by both the houses of Parliament and will be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her approval. It will become law after the President's assent.
Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju tabled the bill in the Rajya Sabha. Rijiju accused the opposition parties of trying to mislead people on the Waqf Amendment Bill. He said that the bill would benefit crores of people from the Muslim community.
Voting On Waqf Bill:
While replying to the over 12-hour-long debate on the bill in the Upper House, the Union Minister said that several suggestions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee had been incorporated in the revised bill.
Discussion On The Waqf Bill In Rajya Sabha:
"When the Waqf Amendment Bill was first drafted and the bill that we are passing now, there are a lot of changes. The bill would have been completely different if we had not accepted anyone's suggestions," he said.
Rijiju further stated that once a property is declared a Waqf property, its status cannot be changed and this has to be done by following the due process.
The Union Minister also said that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, will be renamed as the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development) Bill.
The bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Rijiju on Wednesday and it was cleared after a marathon 12-hour-long debate.
First introduced in Parliament in 2024, the Bill was sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagdambika Pal for further review.
The committee presented its report on February 13 this year and received approval by the Union Cabinet six days later. However, Opposition members on the panel alleged that their proposed amendments and dissenting opinions were removed from the report without their consent.
The newly introduced Bill, which will repeal the 2024 version, aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, which oversees the administration of Waqf properties in India. It proposes major reforms that would enhance the government's involvement in regulating Waqf properties and handling related disputes.
