INDIAN parliament has passed a controversial bill seeking to change the way Muslim charitable properties, known as waqf, are managed.
The bill was cleared after hours of heated debate, with the government saying it would bring transparency and the opposition alleging that it targets the Muslim community.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was approved in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, early on Friday after over 13 hours of discussion. It had already been passed in the Lok Sabha, the lower house, on Thursday.
In the Rajya Sabha, 128 members voted in favour, and 95 opposed it. In the Lok Sabha, 288 MPs supported the bill, while 232 voted against it.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi called the passing of the bill a "watershed moment".
In a post on X, he said the waqf system had been "synonymous with a lack of transparency and accountability" for decades. "The legislation passed by parliament will boost transparency and also safeguard people's rights," he wrote.
India's minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, who introduced the bill, said the Congress and other opposition parties were “scaring the Muslim community”.
He argued that the Waqf Board is a statutory body and should be secular like other government bodies.
On the inclusion of non-Muslims in the board, he clarified that their number would be limited to four out of a total of 22 members.
He said the government had accepted several suggestions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, as well as those received from stakeholders.
The bill proposes several key changes. Waqf boards will now be required to produce valid and verified documents to claim any property as waqf.
If there is a dispute over such a claim, the government will have the final say—especially if the land is believed to be government-owned.
The bill also allows non-Muslims to be appointed to waqf boards and waqf tribunals.
The earlier provision barring judicial review of tribunal decisions has been removed, allowing courts to hear waqf-related disputes.
It also introduces a centralised registration system, under which all waqf properties must be registered within six months.
The opposition accused the government of targeting Muslim institutions and attempting to centralise control.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called the bill “unconstitutional” and accused the government of trying to suppress Muslims.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the bill treats Muslims as “second-class” citizens and alleged it was designed to polarise society.
RJD MP Manoj Jha said the “content and intent” of the bill raise questions, while SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav warned that India is “slowly shifting towards a totalitarian state”.
CPI(M)’s John Brittas called it an attack on the Constitution.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi of Congress said the bill removes the idea of ‘waqf by user’ and hands greater control to the government.
Indian parliament also passed the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2025. Both bills now await the president’s assent before becoming law.
(With inputs from agencies)
Anjana Vasan
Romesh Ranganathan