Waqf Bill Passed; Move Alarms SGPC

The Indian Parliament has passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The Bill passed in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) and the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) 288-232 and 128-95, respectively. The Opposition believes the Waqf (Amendment) Bill—like the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act—is anti-Muslim and a precursor to other anti-minorities bills such as the Uniform Civil Code. Waqf is the donation made by Muslims for charitable and religious purposes. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill points at irregularities in the current system such as historic endowments lack legal proof and are not well surveyed, allow for private properties to be encroached as Waqf, Waqf Boards often contravene laws and declare properties Waqf, women’s rights to property are denied, and aims to regulate the endowments. The Bill does away with the category ‘waqf by user’ which means a property becomes Waqf through long-term use, allows non-Muslims to join Waqf boards and tribunals, and proposes a centralized registration system. During discussion on the Bill, referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiromani Akal Dal’s Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, ‘A party whose entire politics is dependent upon polarization between Hindus and Muslims; whose entire politics is around Pakistan, Musalman and Khalistan; from where they got so much concern for Muslims, their women, their properties?' Panjab Leader of Opposition and senior Indian National Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said, 'Today, it is the Waqf Act; tomorrow, it will be the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee), followed by Christian institutions. The Modi government’s agenda is clear: to dismantle the autonomy of religious bodies and impose a majoritarian will.' The SGPC president, Harjinder Singh Dhami said it appears the government’s intent is to curtail minority rights and administer matters according to its own agenda. In Panjab, 38% of 37K acres of Waqf land is under litigation in various courts (earlier coverage).