Waqf Amendment Bill tabled in Lok Sabha [LIVE UPDATES]

The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, April 2.

The Bill which proposes to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to address regulation of Waqf properties, was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2024.

Waqf refers to properties dedicated exclusively for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law. It can be used for maintaining mosques and graveyards, establishing educational institutions and healthcare facilities or for providing financial aid to the poor and disabled.

Any other use or sale of the property is prohibited. 

The Waqf Act, 1995 was enacted to govern the administration of Waqf Properties (religious endowments) in India. 

It provides for the power and functions of the Waqf Council, State Waqf Boards, and the Chief Executive Officer, and the mutawalli. The Act also describes the power and restrictions of Waqf Tribunals which act in lieu of a civil court under its jurisdiction.

After it was tabled in parliament in August last year, after the Bill was sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for scrutiny. The JPC submitted its report in February this year.

However, its meetings were not without incident. In October, Senior Advocate and All India Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee was suspended from the JPC for a day after smashing a glass bottle during a heated argument with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay.

Live updates from Lok Sabha follows.