Lok Sabha passes Waqf Amendment Bill amid opposition protests

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 on Thursday following an intense and prolonged debate. Members of the INDIA bloc vehemently opposed the bill, while the BJP and its allies strongly backed it, asserting that it would enhance transparency and improve the efficiency of Waqf boards.

The legislation was passed after the opposition's proposed amendments were rejected. The House extended its session past midnight to complete the voting process, news agency ANI reported.

After responding to the discussion, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the House was proceeding with item number 12 on the agenda—the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025—for final consideration. Speaker Om Birla then called for a vote, stating, "Subject to correction, Ayes 288, Noes 232. The majority is in favour of the proposal."

The INDIA bloc had resolved to oppose the bill, with its members voting accordingly and demanding division on several amendments. One of the amendments was rejected with 231 votes in favour and 238 against.

The revised bill, incorporating recommendations from the Joint Parliamentary Committee that reviewed the legislation introduced in August last year, was brought back for approval. During the debate, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the opposition for labelling the bill "unconstitutional."

He pointed out that the laws governing Waqf properties had been in force for decades without being struck down by the courts and cautioned against using such terms loosely.

Additionally, the Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 was also passed in the Lok Sabha. The debate on the bill spanned nearly 12 hours. Rijiju asserted that after the legislation comes into effect, "crores of poor Muslims will thank PM Modi." He dismissed the opposition's claims that the bill was "anti-Muslim," emphasising that many members refused to accept the truth despite Home Minister Amit Shah’s detailed explanation.

"I want to thank all the leaders for keeping their views regarding the Bill... Some leaders are saying that the bill is unconstitutional, and I want to ask them how they could say that the bill is unconstitutional. If it was unconstitutional, why didn't the court strike it down?... words like unconstitutional should not be used... the Bill is not against the Constitution, as the opposition claimed... We should not use the words 'constitutional' and 'unconstitutional' so lightly," Rijiju stated.

Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah accused the opposition of fearmongering to consolidate its vote bank. He clarified that the government had no intention of interfering with religious practices or donations associated with Waqf boards. "No non-Islamic member will get a place in the Waqf Board's work related to religious donations.

"Work of non-Muslim members, appointed in the Waqf Board or its premises, will not be related to religious activities. A person of any religion can become the Charity Commissioner, he will ensure that the board is run according to charity law, this is the administrative work, not religious," Shah explained.

Criticising the past handling of Waqf laws, Shah stated, "The work of the Waqf Board should be to catch and throw out those who sell Waqf properties. The opposition wants the collusion that was going on during their rule to continue, but this will not happen now." He further argued that the need for this amendment arose due to changes made in 2013.

"In 2013, Waqf law was made extreme overnight for appeasement, due to which 123 VVIP properties of Lutyens zone in Delhi were given to Waqf," he remarked.

Shah also highlighted the extensive consultations conducted before finalising the bill. "We formed a joint committee, 38 meetings were held, 113 hours of discussion took place and 284 stakeholders were included and about one crore online suggestions came from all over the country from all these and after analyzing all these, this law was made and it cannot be rejected like this," he said.

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who chaired the Joint Parliamentary Committee, called it one of the most significant legislations of the Modi government's third term. The bill was earlier presented in the House by Rijiju for consideration and passage.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill seeks to reform the Waqf Act of 1995 by streamlining the administration and management of Waqf properties. It aims to address previous shortcomings, improve the registration process, and integrate technology to enhance efficiency in handling Waqf records.