JPC Report On Waqf (Amendment) Bill Led By Jagdambika Pal To Be Tabled In Parliament Today

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, led by Jagdambika Pal, is set to be presented in Parliament on Monday during the ongoing Budget Session.

As per the List of Business, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagdambika Pal, alongside Sanjay Jaiswal, will submit the report in both Hindi and English, along with records of the evidence reviewed by the committee, which formed the basis of its conclusions.

Photo Credit: PTI

On Thursday, Jagdambika Pal met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to present the committee's final report on the bill.

"We have adopted the report and the amended revised bill. For the first time, we have included a section stating that the benefits of Waqf should go to the marginalised, poor, women, and orphans. Tomorrow, we will present this report to the Speaker," Pal told news agency ANI on Wednesday.

He further elaborated, "We had 44 clauses before us, out of which amendments were proposed by members in 14 clauses. We conducted a majority vote, and these amendments were then adopted."

The JPC approved the draft report and the revised bill on Wednesday, 29 January. However, opposition leaders registered their dissent by submitting notes against the report.

Owaisi Claims Parts of His Dissent Note Were Removed

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that sections of his dissent note on the JPC report had been redacted without his knowledge. According to him, these portions merely "stated facts."

"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," Owaisi wrote on X.

He also questioned why JPC chairperson Jagdambika Pal was "stifling opposition voices" despite having secured "the report he wanted."

Reforms in the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024

The Waqf Act of 1995 was originally enacted to regulate Waqf properties but has faced criticism over issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and illegal encroachments.

The proposed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to address these concerns through measures including digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and stronger legal mechanisms to reclaim unlawfully occupied properties.

The ongoing Budget Session of Parliament commenced on January 31 and will continue in two phases until April 4.