Members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Amendment Bill headed by its Chairman Jagdambika Pal during the submission of its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, at the Parliament House, in New Delhi on January 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The joint committee of Parliament examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill submitted its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday (January 30, 2025).

Panel chairperson Jagdambika Pal met Mr. Birla at his Parliament House office and handed over the report.

The panel on Wednesday (January 29, 2025) adopted by a majority vote its report that contained changes suggested by members of the ruling BJP, prompting the opposition to dub the exercise an attempt to destroy Waqf boards.

The Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted the report on the draft legislation by a 15-11 majority vote.

Opposition members submitted dissent notes to the report.

BJP members insisted that the Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in August last year, seeks to bring modernity, transparency and accountability in the management of Waqf properties. On the other hand, the opposition termed it an attack on the constitutional rights of the Muslim community and interference in the functioning of Waqf boards.