Waqf Amendment Act aims to curb corruption, land grabbing: Tripura CM Saha

Agartala (Tripura) [India], April 18 (ANI): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday defended the recently passed Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, stating that the legislation was introduced to address widespread allegations of corruption, land grabbing, and misuse of Section 40 of the Waqf Act.
"The Waqf Amendment Act 2025 has been passed to address allegations of misuse of Waqf properties by a section of leaders, misuse of Section 40, land grabbing, and other corruption," said CM while addressing the Janajagaran Abhiyan organised at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan, Agartala, to raise awareness among the Muslim community about the amended law.
Saha said the loopholes in the Waqf Act, 1995, severely affected poor Muslims, especially those from backwards communities. He also criticised the Congress and CPI(M) for allegedly creating confusion around the new law.
"Many people have no clue about the Waqf, but when the bill came, we read it and understood it. Congress and CPIM are trying to create confusion among the public. Whenever you do good work, they protest and create confusion. They did the same during the removal of Triple Talaq by PM Modi. PM Modi always works for Sabka Saath, Sabka Vishwas. I want to assure the minority Muslim people that whatever PM Modi is doing, it is for the welfare of everyone," said Saha.
CM Saha said that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru established the Waqf Board in 1954, and in 1995, a law was enacted for the Waqf Board.
"In 2013, some powers were given to the Waqf Board, which created issues by occupying land illegally. A section of so-called leaders was doing this for their vested interests, and crores of rupees came to them. Despite having such huge assets, there were no social works or development works. In the properties of the Waqf, there was a lack of transparency, and to bring transparency, this bill was introduced. There are a large number of prolonged litigations, including encroachment," he said.
He further informed that in 2013, there were 10,381 pending cases, which have now increased to 21,618 cases, due to a lack of proper accounting and auditing of Waqf properties.
According to data from September 2024, across 25 States/UTS, Waqf Boards have declared a total of 5,973 government properties as Waqf properties.
"Can you imagine how such properties can belong to Waqf? Some people are trying to create unrest over these issues. But we have been telling everyone that we will not compromise. I have asked the police to take strict action against persons who try to create unrest using the Waqf. In some places, such incidents have already happened. This bill is necessary, and I want to thank PM Modi on behalf of Tripura," he said.
"This Waqf bill also seeks to improve the economic and social status of Muslim women, digitise Waqf records to curb corruption, establish legal support centres for family disputes and inheritance rights, and strengthen cultural preservation and interfaith dialogue. There was no transparency, and we are working to bring transparency into it," he added.
During the event, MP of Lok Sabha Biplab Kumar Deb, BJP State President and Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharya, BJP General Secretary Amit Rakshit, and Billal Mia, President of the BJP Minority Morcha, were present. (ANI)