Waqf Amendment Bill Cleared By JPC, Opposition's All Amendment Suggestions Rejected

The Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Monday approved all amendments proposed by the ruling BJP-led NDA members and rejected every suggestions proposed by opposition members.

The committee chairman Jagdambika Pal told media after the meeting that amendments adopted by the committee will make the law better and more effective.

"Clause-by-clause meeting was held today. Opposition members had amendments over the 44 clauses. I asked members whether they were moving the amendments. They would be moving the amendments. There can't be anything more democratic than this. The kind of amendments passed today... I believe a better bill will be prepared," he said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition has criticised the committee chairman and accused him of "subverting" the democratic process. "It was a farcical exercise. We were not heard. Pal has acted in a dictatorial manner," TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee stated.

"Today, they did everything that they had pre-decided. They did not allow us to speak anything. No rules and procedures have been followed... We wanted to discuss the amendments clause-by-clause but did not let us speak at all. The JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal moved the amendments and then declared them without listening to our points... This is a bad day for democracy," said TMC MP.

Jagdambika Pal refuted the allegation and said the entire process was democratic, and the majority view prevailed.

According to reports, one of the important amendments proposed by the committee is that existing Waqf properties cannot be questioned on the grounds of 'Waqf by user', as mentioned in the existing law but the current law but will be omitted in the new version, if the properties are being used for religious purposes.