In wake of the assent given by President Droupadi Murmu on April 5, the draconian Waqf is now finished and is replaced with the UMEED Act. According to the official notification that has been issued after the President has given her approval to the Waqf Bill 2025, it has been stated that “In section 1 of the Waqf Act 1995 (herein after referred to as the principal Act) in sub-section (I), for the word “Waqf,” the words ““Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development.”
#BREAKING: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 has received the President’s assent on April 5, officially becoming law as the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The Act replaces “Waqf” with “Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development.” pic.twitter.com/oLGbhBXK4W
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) April 5, 2025
The Union government had passed amendment to the Waqf Act of 1995, aimed at improving the management and administration of Waqf properties in India. The bill, initially tabled in August last year, was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) following stiff opposition from various political parties and Muslim organisations.
The amended bill was reintroduced during the Budget session on April 2 after months of deliberation in the JPC, chaired by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. It was passed in the Lok Sabha in the early hours of April 3 with 288 votes in favour and 232 against, following a marathon 12-hour debate. The Rajya Sabha cleared it early on April 4, with 128 members supporting and 95 opposing the legislation.
The new law mandates the inclusion of up to four non-Muslim members, including two women, in the Waqf Council. It also gives senior administrative officers the authority to determine whether a property is Waqf or government-owned.
The Waqf system, a government framed practice involves endowing properties for religious or charitable purposes. In India, the management of these properties was streamlined through the Waqf Act, 1995, which replaced earlier colonial-era legislations. However, over the years, multiple cases of mismanagement, encroachments, and legal ambiguities have necessitated reforms. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these issues by introducing stringent regulations to ensure accountability and transparency.
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