The Lok Sabha on Thursday adopted a resolution to extend the tenure of the joint parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing the Waqf Amendment Bill till the last day of the Budget Session next year.

The panel’s chairperson, veteran BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, moved a motion during the session seeking to “extend time for the presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, up to the last day of the Budget Session, 2025.”

The Lok Sabha approved the motion with a voice vote.

A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. In India, waqfs are governed under the Waqf Act. Each state has a Waqf Board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property. The Act was last amended in 2013.

On August 8, the Waqf Amendment Bill was sent to the parliamentary committee for scrutiny following objections from Opposition parties after the draft legislation was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

The panel had sought written suggestions from the public, experts, non-governmental organisations and institutions, among others, on the draft legislation. It received more than 1.2 crore email responses, both for and against the bill, according to reports.

The bill proposed to amend 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act. These amendments propose to curb the authority of waqf boards, allow greater control by the government, allow non-Muslims to be members of the boards, restrict the donation of properties and change how waqf tribunals function.

The bill has been opposed by leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc and Muslim groups, who said it violated the right to freedom of religion and the freedom to manage religious affairs, among others.

The meetings of the parliamentary committee on the bill have also been marked by heated debates between the Opposition and members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

On Wednesday, the Opposition members of the panel walked out of the meeting and criticised Pal for stating that the draft report was ready to be submitted by November 29, The Hindu reported. The panel had been directed to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the Winter session.

Subsequently, Pal and the Bharatiya Janata Party members of the parliamentary committee approached the Opposition to express their willingness to press for an extension of the deadline.

“There is a consensus within the panel that we have not yet spoken to many of the stakeholders,” Pal said after the meeting on Wednesday, according to The Hindu.

“For example, there are six states where there is a dispute between the Waqf [boards] and the state governments,” he said “Similarly, there are disputes over 123 properties, between the Waqf boards and the Union government.”

On Monday, Opposition members of the parliamentary committee met Speaker Om Birla and sought a reasonable extension for the submission of the report, The Indian Express reported.