New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, led by Jagdambika Pal, will be presented in Parliament on Monday during the ongoing Budget Session. According to the List of Business, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, accompanied by Sanjay Jaiswal, will table the report in both Hindi and English, along with the record of evidence provided to the committee, which guided its findings.
On Thursday, Jagdambika Pal met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to submit the final report on the bill. Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Pal said, “We have approved the report and the revised bill. For the first time, we have added a provision ensuring that Waqf benefits are directed towards marginalised groups, including the poor, women and orphans. We will present the report to the Speaker tomorrow.”
JPC approves amended bill
Pal further said that out of 44 clauses reviewed by the committee, members proposed amendments to 14 of them. After conducting a majority vote, the amendments were adopted. The JPC formally approved the draft report and the amended bill on January 29. However, opposition leaders filed dissenting notes on the report. Earlier, the committee had cleared the Waqf Bill of 1995 with 25 amendments across 14 clauses and sections.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that sections of his dissent note on the JPC report were removed. He stated that the omitted parts merely presented factual information. “I had submitted a detailed dissent note to JPC against Waqf Bill. It is shocking that parts of my note were redacted without my knowledge. The deleted sections were not controversial, they only stated facts,” he said on X.
Owaisi criticises Jagdambika Pal
Owaisi also questioned why JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal was suppressing opposition voices, despite having obtained the report he desired. The Waqf Act of 1995, which was designed to regulate Waqf properties, has faced criticism for issues like mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to tackle these problems through reforms such as digitization, enhanced auditing, greater transparency, and legal measures to recover unlawfully occupied properties. The Budget session of Parliament, which started on January 31, will run in two phases until April 4.
