{"id":40314,"date":"2025-04-03T19:02:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40314"},"modified":"2025-04-03T19:02:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:32:19","slug":"lok-sabha-passes-waqf-amendment-bill-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-04-2025\/lok-sabha-passes-waqf-amendment-bill-2025","title":{"rendered":"Lok Sabha Passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Waqf (Amendment) Bill 20<\/strong><strong>25, <\/strong>now renamed as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill, has been passed in the <strong>Lok Sabha.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill 2024 <\/strong>also approved, repealing the <strong>Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Two Bills Introduced in 2024:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Objective of Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Amend the Waqf Act, 1995 to address challenges in managing Waqf properties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improve administration and efficiency of Waqf boards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Objective of Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Repeal the Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, an outdated colonial-era law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure uniformity, transparency, and accountability in Waqf property management under the Waqf Act, 1995.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eliminate inconsistencies and ambiguities created by the continued existence of the old law.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Meaning of \u2018Waqf\u2019:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Refers to <strong>properties dedicated solely for religious or charitable purposes<\/strong> under <strong>Islamic law.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sale or other use of the property is prohibited.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ownership of the property is transferred from the person making the Waqf (called waqif) to Allah, making it irrevocable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The creator is a <strong>wakif<\/strong>, and the property is managed by a <strong>mutawalli<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Origin of the Concept of \u2018Waqf\u2019:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Traces back to the Delhi Sultanate <\/strong>when <strong>Sultan Muizuddin Sam Ghaor <\/strong>dedicated villages to the Jama Masjid of Multan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Waqf properties grew with the rise of Islamic dynasties in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Mussalman Waqf Validating Act of 1913 <\/strong>protected the institution of Waqf in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional Framework and Governance:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Charitable and religious institutions <\/strong>are under the <strong>Concurrent List of the Constitution, <\/strong>allowing both Parliament and State Legislatures to frame laws on it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Waqf Governance: <\/strong>Currently governed by the Waqf Act, 1995, replacing earlier laws from 1913, 1923, and 1954.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Creation of Waqf: <\/strong>Can be created via:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Declaration (oral or written deed).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Long-term use of land for religious or charitable purposes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Endowment upon the end of a line of succession.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>States with the highest share of Waqf properties: <\/strong>Uttar Pradesh (27%), West Bengal (9%), Punjab (9%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Evolution of Waqf Laws:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1913 Act:<\/strong> Validated Waqf deeds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1923 Act:<\/strong> Made registration of Waqf properties mandatory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1954:<\/strong> Established Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards for better management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1995 Act: <\/strong>Introduced Tribunals for dispute resolution and added elected members and Islamic scholars to Waqf Boards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Amendments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Composition of the Central Waqf Council: <\/strong>The Union Minister in-charge of waqf is the ex-officio chairperson.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Council members include:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Members of Parliament (MPs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Persons of national eminence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Retired Supreme Court\/High Court judges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eminent scholars in Muslim law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Bill removes the Muslim requirement for MPs, former judges, and eminent persons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Bill<strong> mandates two non-Muslim members <\/strong>in the Council.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Composition of Waqf Boards:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Empowers state governments to nominate one person from each group.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Non-Muslim members required: two.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must include at least one member each from Shias, Sunnis, and Backward Muslim classes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Requires two Muslim women members.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Composition of Tribunals:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Removes the expert in Muslim law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>District Court judge (Chairman).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joint Secretary rank officer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Appeals Against Tribunal Orders:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Act: <\/strong>Decisions of Tribunals are final, with no appeals allowed in courts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bill:<\/strong> Allows appeals against Tribunal decisions to the High Court within 90 days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Survey of Properties: <\/strong>The Bill replaces the Survey Commissioner with the <strong>District Collector or other senior officers <\/strong>to oversee the survey of Waqf properties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Government property as waqf:\u00a0 <\/strong>The Bill states that any government property identified as waqf will cease to be so.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Collector of the area will determine ownership in case of uncertainty, if deemed a government property, he will update the revenue records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Audits:<\/strong> Waqf institutions earning over \u20b91 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Centralized Portal:<\/strong> A centralized portal will be created for automating Waqf property management, enhancing efficiency and transparency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Property Dedication: <\/strong>Practicing Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate property to the Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women&#8217;s Inheritance: <\/strong>Women must receive inheritance before the Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women, and orphans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need for the bill<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The new Bill mandates a unified digital listing of Waqf properties to reduce litigation and ensure transparency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The bill ensures gender justice by mandating women&#8217;s inclusion in Waqf Boards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Non-Muslim Members in Waqf Boards: <\/strong>The Bill mandates the inclusion of non-Muslim members in State Waqf Boards and the Central Waqf Council.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This could lead to these bodies being majorly composed of non-Muslims, whereas similar boards for Hindu and Sikh endowments primarily consist of members from those religions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Waqf Tribunals: <\/strong>Removal of experts in Muslim law from Waqf Tribunals may affect the redressal of waqf-related disputes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Creation of Waqf: <\/strong>The Bill limits the creation of Waqf to people who have been practicing Islam for at least five years.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The rationale behind this five-year criterion is unclear and creates a distinction between those who practice Islam for less than five years and those who have done so for more than five years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Bill marks a significant step towards reforming the management of Waqf properties in India.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The proposed reforms not only ensure better governance and accountability but also foster a more inclusive approach, benefiting all communities involved.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsonair.gov.in\/lok-sabha-passes-waqf-amendment-bill-2025\/#:~:text=The%20Lok%20Sabha%20passed%20the,repeals%20Mussalman%20Wakf%20Act%201923.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AIR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025, now renamed as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill, has been passed in the Lok Sabha.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40316,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40314\/revisions\/40316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}