On Wednesday, April 2, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju presented the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha for evaluation and approval. Following modifications by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, the bill seeks to improve the management of Waqf properties, implement technology-based oversight, resolve current issues, and foster transparency.
“In case we don’t bring this bill, the parliament building and airport…were being claimed as waqf properties,” said Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to the opposition in Lok Sabha.
“You tried to mislead people on issues which are not part of Waqf Bill,” he said, adding, “With the JPC recommendations, that we have accepted. We have listened to their good topics, including small amendments.”
“The centralised data and registration process will aid in monitoring and minimizing bureaucratic delays. Auditing will be managed by the state government and the appointment of the board will also fall under the state’s jurisdiction since land is a state subject,” the minister stated.
Rijiju further noted that the unified Waqf management will bring a complete system overhaul. “India possesses the third-largest number of Waqf properties in the world, following the Indian Railways and the Indian Army,” he said.
“The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution. The changes made in the Waqf law by the UPA government had an overriding effect on other statutes; hence, new amendments were required,” Rijiju said amid noisy opposition protests.
The legislation specifies that trusts created by Muslims under any legal framework will no longer be regarded as Waqf, providing complete authority over these trusts. It also mentions that only practicing Muslims with at least five years of activity can designate their property for Waqf, returning to the regulations that were in place prior to 2013. Moreover, women should obtain their inheritance prior to issuing a Waqf declaration, with particular considerations for widows, divorced women, and orphans.
