Waqf Boards will no longer be able to claim others’ property!
Narendra Modi-led Union government is all set to bring a series of changes to the Waqf Act, proposing curtailing the powers of Mosques controlling the Waqf Board. The Union Cabinet on Friday approved around 40 amendments in the Waqf Act and expected to be tabled in Parliament soon. The amendments basically propose power to the government to control the Boards in the acquisition of properties and Muslim women representation in the Board, which is now a male bastion.
As per the proposed amendments, the claims on properties made by Waqf Boards will be mandatorily verified. Amendments also propose mandatory verification for disputed properties of Waqf Boards. There are more than 30 Waqf Boards across India to handle the administration of Mosques and Islamic bodies and many such Boards are facing a series of charges of illegality and land grabbing and sale of lands.
Waqf Boards have massive properties across India, totaling around 10 lakh acres. In 2013, the UPA government, headed by Congress had given more powers to the Waqf Boards by amending the original Act. The Waqf Act, 1995, was enacted to regulate ‘auqaf’ (assets donated and notified as waqf) by a wakif—the person who dedicates a property for any purpose recognized by Muslim law as pious, religious, or charitable.
The proposed amendments also propose to give representation to women in the Central Waqf Council and State Boards, which are now literally a male bastion. The amendments also propose the role of District Magistrates in monitoring Waqf properties to prevent misuse of the assets. The new amendments approved by the Cabinet also propose appeal procedures and speed up the cases in Waqf Tribunals and also envisage appeals against the decisions of the Tribunals.
In every city in India, including metros like Delhi and Mumbai, the Waqf boards have several properties in prime locations. Several controversies are on the administration and sale of these properties by the Waqf Boards.
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Keep bringing such acts & keep pushing this stone age religion