Old mosques and dargahs..., what changes have been made in the Waqf Amendment Bill to be presented in Parliament?

Under the major changes in the Wakf Amendment Bill, the state government has been allowed to retain its role in matters related to Wakf properties. The state government can appoint officers above the rank of collector, who will decide whether the property is Wakf or not.

Edited By: Madhulika Rai

Last Updated : 01 April 2025, 09:05 PM IST

Old mosques and dargahs

Waqf Amendment Bill: Under the important changes made in the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, many new provisions have been accepted. This bill has been introduced by including the controversial section 14 proposed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya. According to this amendment, a person will be able to give his property to Waqf only if he has been following Islam for at least five years. Apart from this, proof of no fraud in Waqf property will also be necessary.

According to another important amendment, there will be no tampering with old mosques, dargahs and other Muslim religious places, that is, this law will not be applicable to these places from the old date. This suggestion was given by Janata Dal (United) and it has been included in the bill.

Two non-Muslims in Wakf Council

In the bill, provision has been made to include two non-Muslim members in the Waqf Council besides having ex-officio members. Along with this, the Joint Secretary related to Waqf matters will be an ex-officio member in the Waqf Board. These changes have been made to bring more transparency in the functioning of Waqf institutions.

Wakf tribunal will have three members

Other important changes in the bill include a proposal to make the Waqf Tribunal a three-member body. Earlier, this tribunal had two members, now an Islamic scholar will also be added as a member. Apart from this, the responsibility of monitoring Waqf properties was earlier with the collector, now it can be handed over to a senior officer, who will be appointed by the state government.

Wakf Amendment Bill will be presented in...

This bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 2 at 12 noon. The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued a whip to its MPs to be present for the discussion on this bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that eight hours of discussion has been scheduled on this, however, this time can also be extended with the consent of the House.