FPJ Dialogue: Arif Naseem Khan, Former Minority Affairs Minister Of Maharashtra, Stresses 'Transparency Is A Must' In Waqf Act Amendments

Mumbai: Waqf boards, India’s third-largest owners of real estate, are currently facing immense challenges. Beset with litigations, demolitions and public bias, they struggle to maintain control of their vast properties amid mounting legal battles, a losing perception war, internal chaos and political heat. In this context, the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act have become a contentious issue, prompting significant debate and concern within the community.

In a meeting at The Free Press Journal office with the senior editorial team on Tuesday, former minority affairs minister of Maharashtra, Arif Naseem Khan, addressed these proposed amendments.

Khan emphasised the need for transparency and inclusive dialogue, stating, “We are not against amendments to the Waqf Act, but we demand transparency in the whole process.”

About The Proposed Amendents

The proposed amendments include significant changes, such as ensuring representation of nonMuslim individuals and Muslim women in central and state Waqf bodies, and renaming the 1995 law as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act. One of the major changes is the omission of Section 40, which allows boards to classify properties, now shifting that authority to the District Collector.

Khan questioned the government’s approach, asking, “How can you arbitrarily introduce a bill without taking the community into confidence?” He asked whether key political allies of the BJP, Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party and Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), were consulted on these changes.

Additional proposed amendments include the requirement for the Central Waqf Council and state waqf boards to have two women on the board, the inclusion of non-Muslims in the council and boards, and mandatory notice and centralised registration of properties. The amendments also propose the establishment of a separate board for the Bohra and Agakhani communities and ensuring women’s inheritances.

“If the government’s intentions are clear, then get all the stakeholders into confidence. If they are trying to introduce these amendments through a backdoor legislation, then somewhere we feel the government has something to hide,” Khan said.