BJP dominated JPC clears own version of Waqf Act

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Monday January 27, 2025 cleared the Waqf Amendment Bill (2024) accepting all proposals submitted by the BJP members and rejecting those of the opposition parties

[Last and final meeting of the JPC Waqf was held in New Delhi today.]

New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Monday January 27, 2025 cleared the Waqf Amendment Bill (2024) accepting all proposals submitted by the BJP members and rejecting those of the opposition parties.

The opposition MPs slammed the JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal and accused him of subverting the democratic process.

The Narendra Modi government had introduced The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 08, 2024 proposing 44 amendments in The Waqf Act 1995.

The Bill was however referred to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) after protests by the opposition parties. The JPC was supposed to submit its report by November 30, 2024. It was however extended till the last day of the 2025 Budget Session.

JPC accepts 14 amendments in Waqf Act

The JPC cleared the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 during its last meeting held in New Delhi Monday.

“The Bill has been cleared by the Joint Parliamentary Committee with 14 amendments proposed by the BJP MPs after voting”, JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal told the media after the meeting.

Pal also said the amendments moved by opposition parties MPs on almost all 44 amendments proposed by the government were rejected as they did not get the "majority support".

One of the more significant amendments cleared by the committee is that the existing Waqf properties cannot be questioned on the grounds of 'Waqf by user', which existed in the current law but will be omitted in the new version, if the properties are being used for religious purposes.

Opposition MPs denounce Jagdambika Pal

While slamming JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee termed him as the greatest blacklister of democracy saying no rules or procedures were followed during the meet.

“It was a farcical exercise. We were not heard. Pal has acted in a dictatorial manner,” he told reporters.

“Today, they did everything that they had pre-decided. They did not allow us to speak anything. No rules and procedures have been followed…,” Kalyan Banerjee said.

“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,” he added.

Jagdambika Pal rejected the charge, and said the entire exercise was democratic, and the majority view prevailed.

"Opposition members moved hundreds of amendments in all 44 clauses and all of them were defeated by vote", he said.

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