The government plans to limit Waqf Boards’ authority to declare properties as ‘waqf assets.’ Nearly 40 amendments to the Wakf Act were approved, requiring mandatory verification for all property claims, sources said. A Bill will likely be introduced in Parliament next week.
New Delhi: The government plans to limit the authority of Waqf Boards to declare any property a ‘waqf asset’ and take control of it, sources told Times Now. The Cabinet on Friday approved nearly 40 amendments to the Wakf Act (previously known as the Waqf Act before 2013), they added.
According to the proposed amendments, all property claims made by Waqf Boards will require mandatory verification. The same verification process is proposed for disputed properties of Waqf Boards. Sources added that a Bill to amend the Wakf Act is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week.
Notably, Waqf Boards oversee nearly 8.7 lakh properties, totalling around 9.4 lakh acres. In 2013, the UPA government increased the powers of the Waqf Boards by amending the original Act.
The Wakf Act, 1995 was established to regulate ‘auqaf’ (assets donated and designated as waqf) by a wakif – someone who dedicates property for purposes recognised by Muslim law as pious, religious, or charitable.
The government had previously noted the extensive powers of state waqf boards to claim any property and the delays in surveying such properties in most states. It also considered involving district magistrates in monitoring waqf properties to prevent misuse.
Sources said that flaws in the appeal process were also being scrutinised. The Bill also proposes modifications to the composition of Waqf Boards and aims to repeal certain provisions of the current law, they added.
In 2013, the UPA government amended the original Act to grant more sweeping powers to Waqf Boards. These changes have been a major point of argument among waqf authorities, individual property owners, and state entities such as the Archaeological Survey of India.
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