New Delhi. Modi government is going to bring a bill to amend the Waqf Act in the current session of Parliament. It is reported that the draft of the bill will be sent to the Lok Sabha MPs on Tuesday. According to the information, the name of the Waqf Act will also be amended. Modi government is going to change the name of Waqf Act 1995 and name it ‘Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act’. Under the amendment in the Waqf Act, provision will be made to give place to Muslim women and non-Muslims in Waqf boards.
As part of the amendment to the Waqf Act, the bill also proposes to form a separate Waqf Board for the Bohra and Agakhani communities. The Modi government has also made provision for representation of Shia, Sunni, Bohra, Agakhani and other backward classes in the Waqf boards. The bill also has a provision to organize the registration of Waqf through a central portal and database. After the bill is passed by the Parliament, there will be a long process of compliance with revenue laws in addition to notice to the concerned people before registering anyone’s property as Waqf property. The Modi government has made this provision in the bill so that if the government has the power to register Waqf properties, then disputes can be avoided. If Waqf properties are registered, it cannot be bought or sold in an illegal manner. This property can also be used for the welfare of poor Muslims.
Muslim leaders, religious leaders and organizations are opposing the Modi government’s attempt to amend the Waqf Act. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has called it unconstitutional and has threatened to take it to court. In fact, there has been a demand for abolishing the Waqf Act for a long time. Right now, the Waqf Boards have the full power to take possession of any property by claiming it to be theirs. Even the courts cannot do anything in this matter. In such a situation, there is a dispute between people and Waqf Boards due to many properties. The Waqf Board has declared a village in Tamil Nadu as its own. Whereas, there is also a 1500-year-old temple there. When a person from the village wanted to sell his land, then this was revealed. There are many such disputes across the country. There are 30 Waqf Boards in the country and they have property of around 900000 acres. In this way, after the Army and the Railways, the Waqf Boards have the most land. 3 cities like Delhi can be built on this land.
