Joint Parl panel on Waqf Bill seeks suggestions from experts, stakeholders

The Joint Committee of Parliament scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Friday sought suggestions from stakeholders, experts and other institutions on the proposed law.

The bill seeks to reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal.

According to a statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the committee led by BJP's Jagdambika Pal has asked for "views/suggestions from the public in general and NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions in particular" considering the "wider implications" of the bill

People have been asked to share their suggestions in writing in the next 15 days.

The memoranda and suggestions submitted to the committee would form part of the records of the Committee and would be treated as "confidential", it said.

Those who wish to appear before the committee, besides submitting views in writing, have been asked to specifically indicate so in their correspondence.

The Bill is the first major initiative from the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal.

It proposes several reforms, including establishing a Central Waqf Council alongside state Waqf Boards with representation to Muslim women and non-Muslim representatives.

A contentious provision of the Bill is the proposal to designate the district collector as the primary authority in determining whether a property is classified as Waqf or government land.

The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 and referred to a joint committee of Parliament after a heated debate with the government asserting the proposed law did not intend to interfere with the functioning of mosques and the opposition calling it a targeting of Muslims and an attack on the Constitution.