The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 submitted its final report on the Bill to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to bring significant reforms, including digitisation of records, stricter audits, increased transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties.

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JPC chairman and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, along with other panel members – Nishikant Dubey, Tejasvi Surya, Sanjay Jaiswal, and others, – submitted the panel’s report to Birla at his Parliament House office. No Opposition members were present during the handing over of the report.

A meeting between members of the JPC and the Lok Sabha Speaker was held before the submission of the report. The panel, on Wednesday, adopted the draft report and the amended revised bill. However, the Opposition leaders also submitted their dissent notes on the report. The JPC on Tuesday cleared the Waqf Bill 1995 with 25 amendments across 14 clauses/sections.

The Bill is likely to be presented during the Budget Session of the Parliament. The Budget session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and continue till April 4, with the Union Budget to be presented on February 1.

After submitting the report to the Lok Sabha Speaker on Thursday, the JPC chairman lauded the members of the committee for their “significant contribution” to the constitution of the Bill.

Pal said over the last five months, the committee conducted several meetings and met hundreds of delegations across the nation, adding that a report has been made after detailed deliberation and several cross-examinations.

Talking to a news agency, the JPC chairman said, “In the last five months, we conducted 38 meetings, met 250 delegations and members, met former judges, vice-chancellors… Report has been made after detailed deliberations. Today we submitted that report… We did several steady tours and visited several states. All members of the JPC have made their contributions to the formation of the bill. I believe that the bill which was brought with the intention to benefit and for the welfare of the poor, will fulfil it.”

When asked about Opposition MPs’ absence during the submission of the report, Pal stated, “All have their own engagements. I had invited all of them. All opposition MPs participated in the important meetings of the amendment. They participated in the voting. They also came in the adoption. We concluded our meeting. All made significant contributions to the making of the bill and participated in the detailed deliberation and cross-examinations.

Commending the JPC’s efforts, committee member and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said no other committee has done as much work as this committee has done in the history of JPC. “No other committee has done as much work as this committee has done in the history of the JPC. We received 1.5 crore representations from all over the nation and 38 meetings of JPC were held…I think after the independence of India no such Bill has been introduced for the rights of the poor Muslim families.The politics of vote bank will come to an end,” Dubey told the news agency.

Another member and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said this new Bill would bring transparency, accountability and professionalism in the management of Waqf properties in the country. “It’s a very important day. The report has been submitted. It’s a very important day as the report has been submitted to the Speaker. Over the last six months, detailed discussions and deliberations were held by the JPC regarding the amendments to the work factor. For a very long time, work properties were mismanaged. There was opaqueness in the management of the waqf properties. Many people who were in charge of the management of the waqf properties had themselves swindled and encroached on the waqf properties,” he elaborated.

“On the other hand, there were also multiple instances of encroachment of government lands, private lands, lands belonging to other faiths by the people who claim to be representative of the waqf boards. So both these problems have been addressed effectively by the amendments that the Government and the MPs have introduced in the new Bill. This new bill is going to bring transparency, accountability and professionalism in the management of waqf properties all over the country,” he added.