Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Minister for Waqf and Haj Pilgrimage V Abdurahiman has raised objections and concerns about the Waqf Amendment Bill during a meeting with Joint Parliamentary Committee Chairman Jagdambika Pal in Chennai.
Kerala Waqf Board Chairman M K Sakeer was also present at the meeting. The minister had earlier met Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to present these concerns.
According to the release, Kerala has about 12,000 registered Waqf properties, along with an equal number that are not registered.
"Given this situation, the minister requested a special sitting of the JPC in Kerala to gather opinions from different sections of the state about the Waqf amendments. The JPC chairman indicated that this request would be considered," it said.
The minister also demanded that any amendments that go against the basic principles of Waqf be withdrawn.
On August 10th, a workshop was held in Kerala to analyse the Waqf amendments in detail.
"The conclusion of the workshop was that the central government should withdraw the amendment. The workshop's suggestions about how the amendments could negatively impact Waqf institutions have been submitted to the JPC," the release added.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Rijiju.
This move was met with significant objections from opposition parties, who argued that the Bill is intended to target the Muslim community.
