Waqf Amendment Bill gets approval from President Draupadi Murmu
President Droupadi Murmu Approved Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 Into Law: President Draupadi Murmu signed off the Waqf Amendment Bill. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passed the bill recently. With the approval of the President on Saturday, the Waqf Amendment Bill has now legally become a bill. This law will henceforth be called the ‘Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025’, which establishes stringent provisions under which Waqf properties would be managed and registered and where claims are being made over the government lands. This move has been made to enhance transparency and accountability in the Waqf Board.
There was commotion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha over the bill:
The bill was passed with an intensive debate during the second phase of Parliament’s budget session. It was passed by 288 votes in the Lok Sabha and 128 votes in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP and their allies voted for the bill, whereas the opposition parties voted against it. According to the government, this law will help prevent Waqf property misuse and safeguard the rights of their actual owners.
What will be modified in the Waqf Act?
According to the new law, no Waqf property will be registered without documents. Moreover, declaring government lands as Waqf property has been prohibited. If any land is found to be disputed or government land, it will not be registered in Waqf. For this, the right to investigate has been given to the collector. Now, it will be compulsory to make the entire Waqf properties’ details on the online portal, which shall be done in 6 months.
The Act also makes provisions for the establishment of independent Waqf Boards for the Bohra and the Aghakhani communities. Furthermore, the provision of two non-Muslim members and women members in the Waqf Board has been made compulsory. The duty of surveying Waqf properties has now been given to the Collector rather than to the Survey Commissioner.
This amendment is intended to make Waqf properties more transparent, but it is being opposed as interference in religious affairs. The government states that this legislation is in the country’s interest and will improve the Waqf system.
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