Changes to Waqf Act ‘will not be tolerated’, says Muslim personal law board
The comment came amid reports that the Centre will amend the law to restrict the Waqf Board’s powers.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Sunday said that changes to the 2013 Waqf Act that alter the nature of the waqf properties “will not be acceptable” and restricting the powers of the Waqf Board will “not be tolerated”.
The comments came after reports, quoting unidentified persons aware of the matter, said that the Union Cabinet on Friday approved 40 amendments to the Act that would restrict the powers of the Waqf Board. The bill to amend the Act is likely to be tabled in Parliament next week, the reports said.
A waqf is a property given for a religious, educational or charitable cause by Muslims. In India, waqfs are governed under the Waqf Act. Each state has a Waqf Board led by a legal entity, who is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer a property.
In a statement, the board quoted its spokesperson Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas as saying that the Waqf Act and the waqf properties are protected by the Constitution and the Shariat Application Act, 1937. “Therefore, the government cannot make any amendments that would change and alter the nature and status of these properties,” the statement quoted Ilyas as saying.
The board said that in decisions relating to the Muslim community taken by the Narendra Modi-led Union government, such as the law against triple talaq, the closure of the Maulana Azad Foundation, the restrictions on minority scholarships, “something has been taken away from them [Muslims] and nothing has been given”.
Ilyas said that Muslims “would never accept” amendments to the Waqf Act that damage the status of the law. “Similarly, interference with the legal and judicial status and powers of Waqf Board will not be tolerated,” the board said.
The board appealed to members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance and Opposition parties to “completely reject any such move and never allow it [bill] to be passed by Parliament”.
On Sunday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi also said that amending the Act would trample upon the freedom of religion and that the move was intended to grab waqf properties from Muslims, The Hindu reported.
