LS passes Waqf Bill amid Oppn uproar

New Delhi: The Waqf Amendment Bill, which was passed late on Wednesday night at the longest and historic session in the last five years, witnessed war or power or empower.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, which seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management.

Tabling the Bill, which was examined and redrafted by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), Rijiju said the legislation has nothing to do with religion but deals only with properties. "The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution.

The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government gave it overriding effect over other statutes, hence the new amendments were required," Rijiju said amid noisy opposition protest, adding, "You (opposition) tried to mislead the people on issues which are not part of the Waqf Bill."

The minister said the Waqf Bill will be renamed as Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Bill. As of now, the number of total Waqf properties is around 8.72 lakh and had they been managed efficiently, fortunes of not only the Muslims, but the whole country would have changed, Rijiju said.

Rijiju claimed the consultation process of the JPC was the largest ever exercise carried out by a parliamentary panel in India's democratic history. The minister said more than 97.27 lakh petitions and memorandums were received by the JPC through physical and online formats and the JPC had gone through each of them before finalising its report. As many as 284 delegations submitted their views on the Bill besides the Waqf boards of 25 states and Union Territories, he said. Legal luminaries, charitable organisations, academicians and religious leaders, among others, also submitted their opinions, Rijiju added.

"Waqf is controlling the third largest pool of properties in the country after Railways and Defence. The Railways and Defence properties belong to the nation, but Waqf properties are private in nature. It is unfair to compare them with the land banks of Railways and armed forces," he said.

The minister further alleged that ordinary Muslims were misled for vote-bank politics for 70 years as no benefits were received by them from such a large pool of land bank. "Why the Waqf properties are not used for the benefit and welfare of the ordinary, poor and downtrodden Muslims? These properties will have to be used for the welfare of the common Muslims," Rijiju said.

As of 2004, a total of 4.9 lakh properties were held by the Waqf and their income was just Rs 163 crore, he said.