The Modi government is set to introduce significant amendments to the Waqf Act, with the Cabinet approving around 40 proposed changes. The reforms aim to limit the powers of the Waqf Board, particularly its authority to designate properties as “Waqf property.”
Key amendments include mandatory verification of property claims made by the Waqf Board and compulsory inspections of disputed properties. A bill to amend the Waqf Act is expected to be introduced in Parliament next week, with August 5th being a significant date for the Modi administration. The date marks previous notable events: the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and the foundation stone laying for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in 2020.
The Waqf Board manages approximately 8.7 lakh properties, covering about 9.4 lakh acres. The 2013 amendments under the Congress-led UPA government expanded the Board’s powers. The original Waqf Act, passed in 1954 during Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure, has undergone several revisions since its centralization.