“Poor Muslim women and Pasmanda should get a place in Waqf Board”: Union Minister Giriraj Singh

Patna (Bihar) [India], September 22 (ANI): Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday called for a law that would ensure representation for poor Muslim women and Pasmanda communities in the Waqf Board, while also condemning the misuse of waqf properties.

“A law should be made in the Waqf Board, and poor Muslim women and Pasmanda should get a place in it. Waqf should not go on a land-grabbing spree.

The Congress gave so many rights to the Waqf Board, ‘Na Khaata na Bahi, jo Waqf kahe wahi sahi,'” Singh said while speaking to reporters in Bihar’s Patna on Sunday.

The ongoing efforts by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) are part of a broader national initiative to reform the Waqf Act and ensure that waqf properties are used for the greater good of the community. The JPC is discussing key aspects of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, including digitisation of records, stricter audits, better legal recourse for encroachments, and the decentralisation of waqf management.

Notably, the Waqf Act, 1995, was created to regulate waqf properties, but it has long faced allegations of mismanagement, corruption and encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

The JPC is holding a series of meetings to gather input from government officials, legal experts, Waqf Board members and community representatives across six states and two Union Territories, aiming for the most comprehensive reform possible.

These consultations will play a vital role in ensuring that the amendments to the Waqf Act are practical, effective and aligned with the needs of the community.

The committee has to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the next parliament session.