New Delhi: A batch of petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment bill, passed by parliament last week, will be heard by the Supreme Court next week. The government, however, has filed a caveat in the apex court, in which it said no orders should be passed without hearing its perspective.
So far, 15 petitions have been filed on the contentious bill to which the Opposition and sections of the Muslim community have expressed multiple objections. Most of these were expressed during the 12-plus hour debate on the bill in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha last week. The bill has since been signed by the President and has come into force.
The contentious provisions in the amended law include mandatory inclusion of two non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards. There is also the stipulation that individuals who practiced Islam for at least five years only can donate properties to Waqf.
The government has repeatedly underscored that the law is about property and its management, not religion. The Waqf bill, the BJP had declared, was developed after consulting a large section of people and it has received the support of non-Muslim minorities.
This, it insisted, is because of the large-scale irregularities that did not allow Waqf property to benefit women and children, which the amended law would do. (NDTV inputs)
