Lok Sabha passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 after an intense 12-hour debate
The bill was passed with a 288-232 majority after all amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected by voice vote.
Lok Sabha passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 (Photo: 'X')
Guwahati, Apr 3: The Lok Sabha during the early hour on Thursday passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, following an intense 12-hour debate. The ruling NDA strongly defended the legislation as a step towards strengthening Waqf institutions and ensuring transparency, while the opposition criticised it as "anti-Muslim".
The bill was passed with a 288-232 majority after all amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected by voice vote.
The bill was tabled by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday. Defending the bill, Rijiju questioned the opposition’s outrage, asserting that the legislation seeks to streamline the management of Waqf properties and introduce much-needed reforms.
Notably, Gaurav Gogoi accused the government of attempting to dilute constitutional principles and marginalise minority communities.
Opening the debate, the Jorhat MP slammed the bill as a “deliberate attempt to defame India’s minorities, divide society, and eventually disenfranchise them.”
Gogoi warned that the proposed amendments could set a “dangerous precedent for targeting other religious communities in the future”.
However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, reassuring the concerns about religious interference, said, "There is a huge misconception that this amendment will interfere with the religious affairs of Muslims or the properties dedicated by them. I assure you, not even one non-Muslim will enter your Waqf."
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was first introduced in August 2024 to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, addressing regulatory concerns over Waqf properties. It was later sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which recommended certain amendments before its passage in the Lok Sabha.
With inputs from news agency