Waqf Board Amendment Bill: The central government has started preparations to curb the rights of the Waqf Board. According to sources, the central government may soon introduce a bill related to amendment in the Waqf Board Act in the Parliament. Under this, more than 40 amendments can be made in the Waqf Board Act. In such a situation, after the discussions of amendment in the Waqf Board Act, it becomes important to know the history behind it.
Why was the Waqf Board formed and what rights does it give to Waqf? Actually, the Waqf Act was passed for the first time in 1954, seven years after the country’s independence. At that time, the country’s Prime Minister was Jawaharlal Nehru. His government brought the Waqf Act but later it was repealed.
Central Wakf Council was formed in 1964
A year later, in 1955, a new Wakf Act was introduced. In this, rights were given to the Wakf Boards. 9 years later, in 1964, the Central Wakf Council was formed, which was under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. Its job is to advise the central government regarding the functioning of the Wakf Board.
In 1995, almost 30 years after the formation of the Waqf Council, the Congress government led by PV Narasimha Rao made the first amendment to the Waqf Act. He further increased the power of the Waqf Board. After that amendment, the Waqf Board got unlimited rights to acquire land. However, in 2013, the Waqf Act was again amended by the UPA-2 government led by Manmohan Singh.
The dispute over Waqf has been going on since the British era
The dispute over Waqf has been going on since the British era. The dispute over the possession of Waqf property had reached the Privy Council in London. During the British rule, a bench of judges sat in Britain and declared it illegal, but the government of British India did not accept it and brought a new Act in 1913 to save it. On 8 December 2023, a private member bill to repeal the Waqf Board (Act) Act 1995 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
This bill was introduced by BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav from Uttar Pradesh. There was a controversy regarding this bill in the Rajya Sabha and voting was also done for this bill at that time. Then 53 members voted in favor of introducing the bill, while 32 members voted against it. During that time the BJP MP had said that ‘Waqf Board Act 1995’ creates animosity and hatred in the society. Waqf is an Arabic word. Which means an object offered in the name of God.
Wakf Board has the authority over movable and immovable properties. There is a Wakf Board at national and state level for the maintenance of these properties. The property donated to the Wakf Board is used to help the poor.
There is most controversy regarding the rights of Waqf
At present, the Waqf Board has 8,65,644 immovable properties. The Ministry of Minority Affairs had given information about this in the Lok Sabha in December 2022. However, the most controversy is about the rights of the Waqf. Because Section 85 of the Waqf Act emphasizes that the decision of the Board cannot be challenged in court.
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