New Delhi. The central government has started preparations to curb the rights of the Waqf Board. According to sources, the central government may soon introduce a bill related to amendment in the Waqf Board Act in the Parliament. Under this, more than 40 amendments can be made in the Waqf Board Act. In such a situation, after the discussions of amendment in the Waqf Board Act, it becomes important to know the history behind it. Why was the Waqf Board formed and what rights does the Waqf get in it. Today we tell you about it in detail.
In fact, the Waqf Act was passed for the first time in 1954, seven years after the country’s independence. At that time, Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of the country. His government brought the Waqf Act, but it was later repealed. A year later, in 1955, a new Waqf Act was again introduced. In this, Waqf boards were given powers. 9 years later, in 1964, the Central Waqf Council was formed, which was under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Its job is to advise the central government about the work related to the Waqf Board.
In 1995, almost 30 years after the formation of the Waqf Council, the Congress government led by PV Narasimha Rao made the first amendment to the Waqf Act. He further increased the power of the Waqf Board. After that amendment, the Waqf Board got unlimited rights to acquire land. However, in 2013, the Waqf Act was again amended by the UPA-2 government led by Manmohan Singh.
The dispute over Waqf has been going on since the British era. The dispute over possession of Waqf property had reached the Privy Council in London. During the British rule, a bench of judges sat in Britain and declared it illegal. But, the government of British India did not accept it and brought a new Act in 1913 to protect it.
On 8 December 2023, a private member bill to repeal the Waqf Board (Act) Act 1995 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha. This bill was introduced by BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav from Uttar Pradesh. There was a controversy over this bill in the Rajya Sabha and voting was also done for this bill at that time. Then 53 members voted in favor of introducing the bill, while 32 members voted against it. During that time the BJP MP had said that the ‘Waqf Board Act 1995’ creates animosity and hatred in the society.
Tags: Congress, Jawaharlal Nehru, Waqf Board
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 4, 2024, 20:07 IST
