Amit Shah asserts Waqf Bill does not interfere with religious practices

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday addressed concerns regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, clarifying that non-Muslim members of the Waqf Board will have no role in managing religious affairs.

Making an intervention in the Lok Sabha, Shah criticised Opposition leaders for “spreading misconceptions” about the Bill, stressing that the legislation does not interfere with the religious practices of any community.

He refuted claims that the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board amounted to interference in Waqf matters, asserting that such allegations were baseless and misleading. He reiterated that the Bill aims to ensure transparency and prevent mismanagement of Waqf properties. Shah said that all the arguments about the inclusion of non-Muslims are about interference in the Waqf. First of all, no non-Muslim would come into the Waqf, he said.

“Understand this clearly...There is no such provision to include any non-Muslim among those who manage the religious institutions; we do not want to do this. This misconception is being spread to instil fear among minorities for their vote bank. Their (non-Muslim members) job is not to interfere in religious matters. Their job is to monitor if the administration of the Waqf law and funds given for donations is running smoothly or not,’’ he clarified.

“Through this House, I would like to tell Muslims of the country that not even one non-Muslim would come into your Waqf. This Act has no such provision. But what would the Waqf Board and Waqf Council do? To catch the people selling off Waqf properties and drive them out, to catch those who lease off their properties for 100 years in the name of Waqf. The income of Waqf is dropping, the income with which we have to do development for minorities and push them forward, that money is being stolen. Waqf Board and Council will catch that,’’ Shah said.

In a hard-hitting speech, Shah said if there had not been an amendment in the Waqf Act in 2013, there would have been no need to bring this legislation.

“Elections were due in 2014 and in 2013, the extreme Waqf law was made overnight for the purpose of appeasement. As a result, 123 properties in Delhi’s Lutyens zone were handed over to the Waqf just 25 days before the elections,” he said.

“The Narendra Modi government runs on a very clear principle that we will not bring any law for vote bank because law is for justice and welfare of people,” he said, adding, “Everyone has the right to follow their religion, but conversion cannot be done for greed, temptation and fear.”

He stressed that it has become a fashion to create fear among the people of the minority community. “It is the resolve of the Modi government that no citizen of this country, irrespective of his religion, will be harmed,” Shah said.

He said vote bank is being created by intimidating minorities and confusion is being spread in the country by creating an atmosphere of fear among the minorities.

“The government does not want to interfere in the religious activities of Muslim brothers and the trusts associated with their donations, i.e. Waqf. Mutawali, Waqif, Waqf will all be Muslims, but it will definitely have to be seen whether the property of Waqf is being maintained properly or not,” he said.

Shah also said that no non-Islamic member will get a place in the Waqf Board’s work related to religious donations.

He underlined that Waqf is a type of charitable institution where a person donates his property for social, religious or public welfare purposes, without the right to take it back.

Shah said the word ‘donation’ has special importance because a donation can be done only of that thing which is our own property. No one can donate government property, he asserted.

Referring to one of the members mentioning that the law may not be acceptable for some people, he said the Parliament is going to enact the Waqf Bill and it will be the law of the land and everyone will have to accept it.

Shah said this Bill will provide protection to the lands and no one’s land will become Waqf merely by declaration.

“The government will provide protection to the land of the Archaeological Department and the lands of the tribal community. The personal property of common citizens will also be protected,” he said.

He said the charity commissioner can be a person of any religion and he will ensure that the Waqf board is run according to the charity law, it is not a religious work, but an administrative work.

According to him, from 1913 to 2013, the total land of the Waqf Board was 18 lakh acres, in which from 2013 to 2025, a new 21 lakh acres of land was added. There were 20,000 properties given on lease, but according to the records, these properties became zero in 2025, these properties were sold, he said.

The right to declare Waqf property has been abolished, and now this will have to be certified by the district collector, Shah said.

In Tamil Nadu, 400 acres of land belonging to the 1500-year-old Tiruchendur temple were declared Waqf property. Shah mentioned that according to a report from a committee in Karnataka, 29,000 acres of Waqf land were leased for commercial use. Between 2001 and 2012, Waqf properties worth Rs. 2 lakh crore were leased to private institutions for 100 years. He also stated that the High Court in Bengaluru had to intervene to stop the acquisition of 602 acres of land. In Honwad village, Vijaypur, Karnataka, 1500 acres of land was made controversial, and this land, worth Rs. 500 crore, was leased to a five-star hotel for just Rs. 12,000 per month.

The Home Minister said that all this money is meant for the welfare of poor Muslims, not for the plundering of the wealthy.

He stated that when the 2013 amendment Bill was introduced, senior leaders in the then government had advocated for stricter laws to prevent the misuse of Waqf property and ensure that the culprits were held accountable. He emphasised that the current Bill aims to establish a transparent audit system for Waqf properties.

He pointed out that the Opposition had proposed an amendment stating that Waqf Board orders could not be challenged in court, whereas the truth is that the Bill does allow legal challenges. He further clarified that this Bill will not have retrospective effect, but the Opposition is misleading and creating fear among Muslims regarding its implications.

Regarding the role of the District Collector in the Waqf Bill, the Home Minister stated that whenever land is purchased for a temple in the country, it is the Collector who determines its ownership. He questioned why there is opposition to the Collector investigating Waqf land, emphasising that only the Collector has the authority to verify whether Waqf land belongs to the government or not.

He said that the 2013 amendment Bill was discussed for a total of 5.5 hours in both Houses, whereas the current Bill is being debated for 16 hours. He emphasised that the government formed a JPC, which held 38 meetings, engaged in 113 hours of discussion, and consulted 284 stakeholders. Additionally, one crore online suggestions were received from across the country and analysed thoroughly before drafting this law.

He pointed out that similar attempts at fearmongering were made during the discussions on the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, Triple Talaq, and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to create panic among Muslims. However, he asserted that the Muslim community is well aware that there is nothing to fear.