The Rajya Sabha approved the Waqf Amendment Bill quite late on Thursday night. It took more than 13 hours of long debate to pass this bill, after which the bill was finally passed.
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128 votes were cast in favour and 95 against.
At the time of partition in 1947, a large number of Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan, and many Hindus from Pakistan came to India. To manage the property and other belongings of those Muslims which they had left behind in India, the Indian Parliament enacted the Waqf Act in 1954.
Section 40 of the Waqf Act was the most dangerous
Under this, the Waqf Board could declare any property
whether it is private or of a trust
whether it is a monastery or a temple
as its property
The decision of the Waqf Board was considered the final decision
The board had the power to claim any property as its own according to Islamic laws. And then it was the responsibility of the owner of that property to prove that the property was his personal property and not of the Waqf.
Earlier, no appeal could be made in any court against the decision of the Wakf Board. In such cases, the decision was taken only in the Wakf Tribunal. Now, after the change, this decision can be appealed against in the High Court as well.
The board will now also include two non-Muslim persons and two Muslim women to increase their participation and diversity. This decision has been taken to ensure their presence.