New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) Shia cleric Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad on Monday alleged that the process followed by Parliament's joint committee to gather suggestions on the Waqf bill was a "farce" and said protests against the proposed legislation would be organised to highlight the adverse effects it would have on Muslims' rights.

He also emphasised the importance of Waqfs and their special significance in the religious tenets of Islam, as well as the need to protect all existing Waqfs from the "deceitful and mala fide intentions" behind the Bill and the Parliament's joint committee that scrutinised it.

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Jawad was addressing a press conference alongside Qanati Masjid (Jor Bagh) Shahi Imam Maulana Syed Mohd Qasim Zaidi and Anjuman E Haideri general secretary Syed Bahadur Abbas Naqvi.

Jawad claimed that according to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, any government property identified as Waqf property before or after the amendment would not be considered Waqf property.

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"Any dispute regarding this will be decided by the collector and, until the collector resolves the dispute, the property will not be considered Waqf property. Although, it has been seen that the Waqfs of Hussainabad Trust are managed by the district magistrate in Lucknow who himself is involved in usurping Waqf properties," he alleged.

Jawad said a nationwide campaign would be launched and protests against the Bill organised.

These protests will focus on discussing the implications of the Bill in detail, with the goal of educating the people, he said.

"The aim will be to raise awareness about how the Bill may affect the rights and lives of the Muslim community. It will also seek to involve communities from all regions, ensuring that everyone has the chance to understand the potential consequences of the Bill and take a stand," Jawad said.

He emphasised that the invitation from the joint committee for objections and suggestions on the Bill was nothing but a "sham, and the entire exercise was a mere farce".

The 31-member panel on the Bill, after multiple sittings and hearings, had suggested several amendments to the proposed legislation even as the opposition members disagreed with the report and submitted dissent notes.

The panel's 655-page report was submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on January 30.

The joint committee had adopted the report that contained changes suggested by members from the ruling BJP by a 15-11 majority vote. The move prompted the opposition to dub the exercise an attempt to destroy Waqf boards.

The Bill was referred to the joint committee on August 8 following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)