New Delhi (India), February 13 (HBTV): The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday amid disruptions and continuous sloganeering from opposition members.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni presented the report and also tabled a copy of the record of evidence submitted to the panel regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The presentation of the JPC report was followed by uproar in the Upper House, resulting in the adjournment of the session until 11:20 am. However, after the session resumed, the opposition MPs again disrupted the proceedings.

Earlier in the day, Jagadambika Pal, BJP MP and Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the JPC would present its report after six months of nationwide consultations.

Speaking to ANI, the JPC Chairman highlighted that the committee toured the country to gather inputs before finalizing the report, which included the adoption of 25 amendments across 14 clauses.

'Today, the JPC will present its report in Parliament. To ensure detailed discussions, the committee was formed six months ago. Over these months, we have prepared the report after touring the entire nation. We have adopted 25 amendments in 14 clauses,' he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized the amendment, claiming that instead of focusing on the existing Waqf Act, the government is attempting to introduce a politically motivated amendment.

In an interview with ANI, Gogoi asserted that several members of Parliament had expressed dissent regarding the JPC report, emphasizing concerns over constitutional negligence caused by the bill.

'Currently, there is an act that manages Waqf properties, and rather than focusing on improving its implementation, the government is pushing a politically motivated amendment,' he said.

Congress MP KC Venugopal also criticized the Centre, stating that the manner in which the JPC operated was 'wrong.'

The JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill had adopted the draft report and the amended bill on January 29. However, opposition leaders submitted dissent notes on the report.

Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Md Nadimul Haque, who were members of the panel, protested against the 'expunction of key portions of their dissent notes' submitted to the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Banerjee and Haque alleged that the committee's conclusions were biased and predetermined, and claimed that it ignored stakeholder representations, witness depositions, and submissions made by opposition members.

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticized for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitization, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)