The Joint Committee of Parliament scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) bill on Friday sought suggestions from stakeholders, experts and other institutions on the proposed law.

 

The bill seeks to reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal.

According to a statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the committee led by Bharatiya Janata Party's Jagdambika Pal has asked for "views/suggestions from the public in general and NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions in particular" considering the "wider implications" of the bill.

People have been asked to share their suggestions in writing in the next 15 days.

The memoranda and suggestions submitted to the committee would form part of the records of the Committee and would be treated as "confidential", it said. 

     

Those who wish to appear before the committee, besides submitting views in writing, have been asked to specifically indicate so in their correspondence.

The bill is the first major initiative from the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal.

It proposes several reforms, including establishing a Central Waqf Council alongside state Waqf Boards with representation to Muslim women and non-Muslim representatives.

A contentious provision of the bill is the proposal to designate the district collector as the primary authority in determining whether a property is classified as Waqf or government land. -- PTI