Cabinet okays proposed changes, clears deck for Waqf bill to be tabled in second half of budget session

NEW DELHI: Cabinet has approved the proposed amendments to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill incorporating the changes recently recommended by the Parliamentary panel, paving the way for it to be tabled for discussion and passage in the second half of the budget session.
TOI has learnt that the govt has incorporated most of the changes recommended by the

Joint Parliamentary Committee

(JPC) headed by Jagdambika Pal and the Cabinet cleared it last week along with the

Indian Port Bill

. The bill has been put in the priority list by the govt as part of its legislative business.
The bill was referred to the JPC in August 2024 after it was introduced in the Lok Sabha by minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju. The parliamentary panel adopted the report with majority vote while all 11 MPs from opposition parties in the panel had objected to the report. They had also moved dissent notes.
The 655-page report was submitted to both the Houses of Parliament earlier this month. The panel, while doing away with the “Waqf by User” provision, going forward, has allowed only existing “Registered Waqf by User” to be recognised as waqf. This will exclude the cases where the properties are under dispute or owned by the govt.

As per the report, the panel had supported inclusion of non-Muslims in waqf boards, which can go upto four and recommended transfer of dispute investigation authority from district collectors to senior state govt appointees. The state waqf boards will now include one member from the Muslim OBC community, ensuring broader representation.