The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024, has proposed 572 amendments to the draft Bill, which anticipates renaming the Waqf Act of 1995 by dropping the name “Waqf.” This will be done after the passage of The Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, 2024. The government line is that the new law will improve the functioning of Waqf Boards at the Centre and in the states by streamlining the management of Waqf properties worth thousands of crores of rupees spread throughout India.

Granted that charges of corruption and mismanagement have plagued the Waqf properties, but this charitable institution has existed as long as the foundations of Islam. By replacing the word “Waqf” with some other name and including non-Muslim MPs in the Central and State Waqf Boards, the very identity of Waqf may be drastically changed. Our founding fathers were vehemently opposed to meddling in the personal law of the minorities.

In Islamic law, the word “Waqf” refers to any property dedicated in the name of God for religious or charitable purposes, to maintain mosques, fund schools or provide sustenance for orphans, widows, and the poor. Once designated as a “Waqf” property, it cannot be sold, gifted, or alienated through inheritance.

The Waqf Act of 1995 was introduced to regulate Waqf properties, but it was criticized because of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments on Waqf land. The Modi government has proposed renaming the Act, updating the definition of Waqf, streamlining the registration process, and........

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