"Will bring transparency, accountability": Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde defends Waqf Bill in Parliament
Aug 08, 2024
New Delhi [India], August 8 : Amid the opposition outrage in the Parliament on Thursday after the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde defended the bill in the House and said that it will bring about transparency and accountability.
Speaking to ANI, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said, "This Waqf Bill is in true sense, for the betterment of the minority Muslim community... There has been no prior amendment to the Waqf Bill... Even today, the opposition is against it because they do not want Muslim women to get representation. No one can name any Waqf property that has been put to good use like schools, colleges, or hospitals. This bill will bring about transparency and accountability..."
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which amends the Waqf Act, 1995, was introduced by Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
The bill seeks to "effectively address issues" related to the powers of the State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of waqf properties and removal of encroachments.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Waqf Act provides for the renaming of the Waqf Act, 1995, as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995. It seeks to clearly define "waqf" as waqf by any person practising Islam for at least five years and having ownership of such property and ensure that the creation of Waqf-alal-aulad does not lead to the denial of inheritance rights to women.
The bill seeks to omit section 40 relating to the powers of the Board to decide if a property is waqf property, provide for filing of accounts of waqf by mutawallis to the Board through a central portal for better control over their activities, reform the Tribunal structure with two members and provide for appeals against the orders of the Tribunal to the High Court within a specified period of ninety days.
The members of the opposition parties made an all-out attack on the Centre as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha.
