"Ayes: 128, Noes: 95, Absent: 0. The Bill is passed."
Rajya Sabha Passes Waqf Bill 2025 Amid Heated Debate, Latest News: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament. The Rajya Sabha cleared the bill early Friday with 128 votes in favour and 95 against after a prolonged 12-hour debate. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill late Wednesday night, shortly after midnight.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced,
"Ayes: 128, Noes: 95, Absent: 0. The Bill is passed."
The bill aims to enhance transparency and governance in Waqf property management. Key changes include redefining "Waqf", digitizing records, mandating representation of women and non-Muslims in Waqf bodies.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who introduced the bill in the upper house, said that several suggestions from the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) were incorporated into the revised version.
"There have been many changes from the original draft. Had we not accepted any suggestions, the bill would have been completely different," he stated, according to ANI.
Rijiju defended the bill’s structure, stating, "The Waqf Board is a statutory body. Why should it include only Muslims? If there are disputes involving non-Muslims, how will they be resolved?" He emphasized that the statutory body should be secular, with representation from all communities. However, he clarified that non-Muslim members would not be involved in religious donation-related work.
The Minister added that mechanisms for redressal under the bill had been strengthened, including the Right to Appeal if a person is unsatisfied with a tribunal's decision.
Opposition Criticisms
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge opposed the bill, calling it unconstitutional and urging the government to withdraw it.
Rijiju clarified that the Central Waqf Council would have 22 members, including ex-officio members, with no more than four non-Muslims. Similarly, in the State Waqf Boards, only three out of eleven members could be non-Muslim, to maintain a secular structure while ensuring minority representation.
Congress MP Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain criticized the bill, calling it misleading and politically motivated. He alleged that during the BJP government, Waqf employees had not received proper funding or salaries. Union Home Minister Amit Shah interrupted to accuse the opposition of misleading the public.
Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Mohammad Nadimul Haque (TMC), Sanjay Singh (AAP), and Professor Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD) also opposed the bill, calling it anti-secular, unconstitutional, and divisive.
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