Opposition MPs walk out of Waqf Bill JPC meeting

Several Opposition MPs boycotted a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Monday, accusing the panel of not adhering to parliamentary norms.

MPs including Gaurav Gogoi and Imran Masood of the Congress, A. Raja of DMK, Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, Samajwadi Party’s Mohibbullah, and Sanjay Singh from the Aam Aadmi Party walked out of the session in protest, raising concerns over the committee’s functioning.

Sawant later told reporters that the committee, chaired by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, was not following proper procedures, allowing personal accusations against senior Opposition members such as Congress president and Rajya Sabha leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge by those presenting before the panel.

The Opposition MPs expressed strong objections to the conduct of the meeting and decided to hold a separate discussion to determine their next course of action. Some members indicated they might raise the issue with the Lok Sabha speaker.

Despite the boycott, the 31-member committee, which comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, continued its proceedings.

The last meeting of the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was held on 6 September. The meeting included presentations from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Zakat Foundation of India, and the Telangana Waqf Board. 

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 8 August following a heated debate, was subsequently referred to a JPC. The JPC is conducting a series of informal discussions with various stakeholders, which are scheduled to continue.

The Waqf Bill seeks to reform the management of waqf properties, but several provisions have drawn criticism.

Among the controversial amendments is the removal of the "waqf by user" norm, which historically allowed waqf boards to claim properties based on their religious use over time. Additionally, the Bill proposes granting district collectors the authority to decide on the ownership of disputed properties and allowing the nomination of non-Muslims to waqf boards — provisions that have been contested by critics.

The amendments have also sparked concern among Opposition members, who argue that these changes could undermine the autonomy and historical practices related to waqf properties.