"Was this JPC or a formality": Congress' Pramod Tiwari on Waqf (Amendment) Bill

New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Monday said that the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill did not listen to the opposition, and claiming that the purpose of the Committee was just political.
"You rejected all 44 amendments from the opposition and accepted all the amendments from the ruling party. You are not listening to us. Was this a JPC or a formality? The purpose of this JPC was political," Tiwari told ANI.
The JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 will not be tabled in the House today, according to the list of businesses.
The report was presented to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30, 2025.
On the same day, Jagdambika Pal arrived at the Parliament to meet with the Speaker and hand over the committee's final report on the bill.
The JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill adopted the draft report and the amended revised bill on Wednesday, January 29. However, the opposition leaders submitted their dissent notes on the report.
The JPC had earlier cleared the Waqf Bill 1995 with 25 amendments across 14 clauses and sections.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal said, "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 marginalized, poor, women, and orphans. Tomorrow, we will present this report to the Speaker."
"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," he added.
The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)