“Govt should take opinion of stakeholders before making amendments”: Maulana Khalid Rasheed on Waqf Board Act

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 4 (ANI): Amid reports that the Centre is planning to amend the Waqf Board Act, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), member, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said that the government should consult and take the opinion of the stakeholders before making any amendments.

Maulana Mahali said, “Our ancestors have donated a large part of their property and they have made it a Waqf under Islamic law. So as far as the Waqf law is concerned, the property must be used only for charitable purposes for which the Waqf has been done. And it is a law that once a property is made a Waqf, it cannot be sold or transferred. As far as the management of properties is concerned, we already have the Waqf Act 1995 and then some amendments were made in 2013. Currently, we do not feel that there is any need to make any kind of amendment to this Waqf Act and if the government feels that there is any need, then the government should consult and take the opinion of the stakeholders before making any amendment. Everyone should keep in mind that about 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the waqf properties are in the form of mosques, dargahs, and graveyards.”

Notably, the central government is likely to bring a bill to curb the powers of the Waqf Board over assets.

Earlier reports suggested that the government was looking to amend the Waqf Act.

According to the reports, the Centre is likely to bring 40 amendments to the Act in the next Parliament sitting.

On the other hand, supporting the amendments, Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam, All India Imam Organization said that it is the need of the hour to do amendment and there should be no politics over it.

“The amendment is a part of the process that keeps on happening from time to time. Amendments have been made in the Waqf Act earlier also. It should be taken care of that the dignity of Waqf should not be harmed. It is the need of the hour to do amendment and there should be no politics over it. There should be a discussion on it. What did Asaduddin Owaisi or other opposition leaders say when amendments were made during the previous governments? The opposition should not protest against everything. There should be a discussion on it rather than politics,” he said.

Reacting to the same, Former Union Minister of Minority Affairs in the UPA government, Rahman Khan said that he hopes that the Centre will not amend the act without proper discussion.

“They (Central government) are going to amend substantially and the impression given is that Waqf properties will be taken away without enquiry, or investigation. The impression is created by the government itself and various authorities that the Waqf board has unlimited powers to declare any property as a Waqf board. It is an exaggeration, Waqf board can’t do that. I hope that the government will not amend the act without proper discussion and looking at all aspects,” Khan said.