After a comprehensive debate lasting more than 12 hours, Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Friday with 128 members voting in favour and 95 against it. With the Lok Sabha having already passed the Bill on Wednesday, it is set to become law after the approval of the President of India.
The debate on the Bill was marred by frequent heated exchanges between the Treasury and the Opposition benches. In a House with total strength of 236, members present were 223 during voting. After all amendments moved by Opposition members were negatived, the Bill was passed at 2:33 am.
In his introductory remarks during the debate on the Bill, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill aims to bring transparency and accountability in the Waqf Boards. “Some people have said this Bill is aimed at harming Muslims and is unconstitutional. I want to dismiss these charges…We do not want to hurt anybody’s sentiments,” he said. The minister emphasized that there is no attempt to interfere in the religious practices of Muslims.
Appealing to the Opposition to not engage in politics and rhetoric during the debate, Rijiju said the Narendra Modi government has shown the courage to carry out what Congress and other parties could not in the past.
He reiterated his words that Waqf properties worth thousands of crores were not bringing any substantial benefits to the Muslims. If these properties are used well, they would benefit the poor Muslims and women, he added.
“Waqf or any property has to have title or registration or proof. Some document or proof will have to be shown. If you verbally say that your ancestors owned it, you will have to show some document. Waqf by user cannot be arbitrary. We have removed this as it has been misused a lot. We will not interfere with retrospective cases,” Rijiju said.
Right to appeal has been made a substantive right unlike the present system where once a tribunal rejects your case you cannot go to a higher court, Rijiju maintained. “We have not closed any doors,” he said.
The government underlined that the Bill ensures that no protected monument can be declared a Waqf property and the land belonging to tribals and those falling under Schedule V and VI can also not be acquired by the Waqf Board.
Rijiju said the Opposition’s demand to send the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee was accepted, and the panel was more representative with 31 members than the 13 member committee formed to deal with the Wakf Bill brought in 2013. The Jagadambika Pal-led JPC held 36 sittings and spent over 200 hours in meetings, compared to 22 sittings by the 2013 panel.
After the debate that lasted over 12 hours, Rijiju said the final draft of the Bill being put to vote is very different from the draft that was tabled and then sent to the joint committee. He emphasized that this is an indication that the government listens to all sides.
He lamented that despite his clarifications at the start of the debate many members had still stated facts which are not there in the Bill. He recalled that when the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed, many people had said Muslims will lose their citizenship but there is not a single case where this was done.
During the debate Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Bill appears to have been brought only to ostracize the Muslims. “The Bill was passed with 288-232 majority in the Lok Sabha which shows there are several lacunae in it. Might is right is not the right way… You have tried to snatch the rights of Muslims,” he said.
He dismissed the government claims that the new law will empower Pasmanda Muslims and women and cited the gap in funds allocated for welfare of minorities and the money spent. The government has also discontinued scholarships for students from the minority communities, he said.
Kharge, and other Opposition members, also objected to the provision that gives the district collector powers to declare a property as Waqf.
Several Opposition leaders alleged that the NDA government has taken many steps against Muslims and this Bill is not going to change their view against the dispensation.
“After what you have done, people do not have trust in you. You can win elections but you do not keep your promises… Do not misuse your majority,” Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said.
The debate on the Bill was marred by frequent heated exchanges between the Treasury and the Opposition benches. In a House with total strength of 236, members present were 223 during voting. After all amendments moved by Opposition members were negatived, the Bill was passed at 2:33 am.
In his introductory remarks during the debate on the Bill, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill aims to bring transparency and accountability in the Waqf Boards. “Some people have said this Bill is aimed at harming Muslims and is unconstitutional. I want to dismiss these charges…We do not want to hurt anybody’s sentiments,” he said. The minister emphasized that there is no attempt to interfere in the religious practices of Muslims.
Appealing to the Opposition to not engage in politics and rhetoric during the debate, Rijiju said the Narendra Modi government has shown the courage to carry out what Congress and other parties could not in the past.
He reiterated his words that Waqf properties worth thousands of crores were not bringing any substantial benefits to the Muslims. If these properties are used well, they would benefit the poor Muslims and women, he added.
“Waqf or any property has to have title or registration or proof. Some document or proof will have to be shown. If you verbally say that your ancestors owned it, you will have to show some document. Waqf by user cannot be arbitrary. We have removed this as it has been misused a lot. We will not interfere with retrospective cases,” Rijiju said.
Right to appeal has been made a substantive right unlike the present system where once a tribunal rejects your case you cannot go to a higher court, Rijiju maintained. “We have not closed any doors,” he said.
The government underlined that the Bill ensures that no protected monument can be declared a Waqf property and the land belonging to tribals and those falling under Schedule V and VI can also not be acquired by the Waqf Board.
Rijiju said the Opposition’s demand to send the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee was accepted, and the panel was more representative with 31 members than the 13 member committee formed to deal with the Wakf Bill brought in 2013. The Jagadambika Pal-led JPC held 36 sittings and spent over 200 hours in meetings, compared to 22 sittings by the 2013 panel.
After the debate that lasted over 12 hours, Rijiju said the final draft of the Bill being put to vote is very different from the draft that was tabled and then sent to the joint committee. He emphasized that this is an indication that the government listens to all sides.
He lamented that despite his clarifications at the start of the debate many members had still stated facts which are not there in the Bill. He recalled that when the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed, many people had said Muslims will lose their citizenship but there is not a single case where this was done.
During the debate Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Bill appears to have been brought only to ostracize the Muslims. “The Bill was passed with 288-232 majority in the Lok Sabha which shows there are several lacunae in it. Might is right is not the right way… You have tried to snatch the rights of Muslims,” he said.
He dismissed the government claims that the new law will empower Pasmanda Muslims and women and cited the gap in funds allocated for welfare of minorities and the money spent. The government has also discontinued scholarships for students from the minority communities, he said.
Kharge, and other Opposition members, also objected to the provision that gives the district collector powers to declare a property as Waqf.
Several Opposition leaders alleged that the NDA government has taken many steps against Muslims and this Bill is not going to change their view against the dispensation.
“After what you have done, people do not have trust in you. You can win elections but you do not keep your promises… Do not misuse your majority,” Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) said.
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