New Delhi [India], April 4 (HBTV): The Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the early hours of Friday following a marathon and heated debate that lasted over two days.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced the result of the vote, stating: ‘Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed.’

The Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 was also passed by the House, which sat beyond midnight to conclude the legislative process.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition of misleading the public on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and asserted that it would benefit crores of people from the Muslim community.

Responding to the debate in Rajya Sabha, which lasted over 12 hours, Rijiju said several recommendations made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee had been incorporated into the revised bill.

‘When the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was first drafted and the bill that we are passing now, there are a lot of changes. The bill would have been completely different if we had not accepted anyone's suggestions,’ he said.

He emphasised that the government was not attempting to intimidate anyone and accused the opposition of spreading fear among the minority community.

‘You are trying to create a scare and trying to take (them) away from the mainstream. Do not mislead in the future... it (the bill) will benefit crores of Muslims,’ he added.

Rijiju clarified that once a property is declared as Waqf, its status cannot be altered without following due process.

The Lok Sabha had taken up the discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday and passed it past midnight after extended debate.

Rijiju said the government had no intention of interfering in Waqf properties.

‘The Waqf Board is a statutory body and why should only Muslims be included in the statutory body? If there is a dispute between Hindus and Muslims, how will that dispute be resolved? There can be disputes with non-Muslims in the Waqf Board as well. The statutory body should be secular and people of all religions should be represented,’ he said.

However, he also clarified that non-Islamic members would not be involved in matters related to religious donations managed by the Waqf Board.

Rijiju stated that the bill would be renamed as the UMEED (Unified Waqf Management Empowerment Efficiency and Development) Bill. He noted that the legislation had strengthened mechanisms such as tribunals and introduced the right to appeal.

‘We have included the Right to Appeal in this bill. If you don't get your right in the tribunal, then you can file a petition in court under this Right to Appeal,’ he said.

He also criticised the Congress-led UPA government for denotifying 123 prime properties just before the 2014 general elections.

‘Just before the implementation of the model code of conduct ahead of the 2014 general elections, on March 5, 2014, the UPA government denotified 123 prime properties and handed them over to the Delhi Waqf Board. These properties were of the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry,’ he claimed.

He added that the case had been pending since 1970 and included prominent sites like the CGO Complex.

The bill, introduced last year and revised following recommendations by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, seeks to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 to improve the administration of waqf properties in India. It aims to address past shortcomings and enhance efficiency by strengthening registration procedures and integrating technological solutions.

Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc strongly opposed the bill.

The Rajya Sabha debate was marked by frequent clashes between opposition members and the treasury benches. After Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain criticised the bill, BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal alleged that ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans had been raised by his supporters during his Rajya Sabha election in Karnataka.

Opposition members objected, claiming that defamatory allegations had been made without prior notice, in violation of parliamentary rules.

Home Minister Amit Shah responded by clarifying that no personal allegations were made.

‘These were raised by someone else. Naseer Hussain has to explain why they were raised,’ Shah said.

Naseer Hussain stated that no such slogans were heard during the event and only one journalist had reported the matter. He said he had requested a state-level probe to verify the claim and take action against any wrongdoers.

There was another disruption when BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi made remarks linking the Muslim community to individuals facing legal cases. He stated that the community, once associated with creative contributions to Bollywood, was now being linked with criminal charges. Some opposition members strongly objected to his comments.

Amit Shah later clarified that the remarks were not against the Muslim community but were directed at certain individuals facing legal action who were affiliated with the INDIA bloc.

He also addressed Congress MP Digvijaya Singh’s comment that Shah was Gujarat’s Home Minister during the 2002 riots.

‘I was not Home Minister... I became Home Minister after 18 months,’ Shah said.

Several members, including Leader of the House JP Nadda and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, participated in the debate.(ANI)