The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is set to present its report in Parliament today, following six months of consultations across the country. BJP MP and JPC Chairman Jagadambika Pal announced the development on Thursday, emphasizing that the report was finalized after extensive discussions and tours to gather input from various stakeholders.
Speaking to ANI, Pal highlighted that the committee had adopted 25 amendments across 14 clauses of the bill during their consultations. “Today, the JPC will present its report in Parliament. To ensure a thorough discussion, the committee was formed six months ago, and after touring the country, we have prepared the report,” Pal said.
The Waqf JPC Chairman also addressed concerns from some committee members who felt their views had not been properly considered. He clarified that dissenting opinions had been included in the report’s appendix, along with records from relevant stakeholders. “Some members expressed concerns that they were not heard. After the report was adopted, we asked them to submit a note of dissent, which has been added to the appendix. We will also present the records of the stakeholders today,” Pal explained.
As per the List of Business of Lok Sabha, Pal, along with BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, will present the report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, today. The records of evidence provided to the Joint Committee will also be laid on the table. The report was submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30, 2025. In Rajya Sabha, the report will be presented by Medha Vishram Kulkarni and Gulam Ali.
The JPC had adopted the final draft of the report and the revised Waqf (Amendment) Bill on January 29. However, opposition members submitted dissenting notes regarding the report. Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Md Nadimul Haque, who were part of the committee, raised concerns about the expunction of key portions of their dissenting notes and accused the committee of ignoring various stakeholder submissions. Banerjee and Haque also alleged that the committee’s conclusions were biased and predetermined.
The Waqf Act of 1995, which regulates Waqf properties, has faced criticism over issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to address these concerns through reforms including digitization, enhanced audits, increased transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties.
