Waqf Amendment Bill passes in Rajya Sabha, with 128–95 votes after 12-hour marathon debate

Waqf Amendment Bill In Rajya Sabha: After a long debate of more than 12 hours on the Waqf Amendment Bill, it was passed in the Lok Sabha late on Wednesday (April 02, 2025). After this, this bill was put up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (April 03, 2025). This bill was passed from here as well. 128 votes were cast in favor of the bill, while 95 votes were cast against it.

During this, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, while responding to the allegations of the opposition, said that many suggestions of the JPC were accepted.

Key highlights of the Rajya Sabha debate:

1.Earlier, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari asked the House why the discussion on the Waqf Bill was taking so long. He said that eight hours were given for the discussion, but the House is running so late.

2.During the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge said that there are many flaws in this bill. The Waqf Amendment Bill has been brought to harass the minorities. He said that the budget of the Minority Ministry has decreased, and the government is not able to finish what is allotted.

3.Mallikarjun Kharge said, "I would appeal to Home Minister Amit Shah not to make it a prestige issue. This is not good for Muslims and it is against the Constitution. Try to maintain an atmosphere of harmony, not to disturb it." 3.

4.Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda said, "While the basic mantra of the Waqf Amendment Bill is to bring transparency and accountability. This has caused a lot of loss to the Muslim brothers. The land mafia has made a lot of money in this."

5. JP Nadda said, "From 1913 to 2013, Waqf had 18 lakh hectares of property. From 2013 till now, 21 lakh hectares of land has been added to Waqf properties. To prevent the misuse of these lands and properties, we have proposed an amendment to the Waqf Act of 2013. It is important to understand that law is an evolving process."

6.Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused some senior members of the Rajya Sabha of creating confusion and said that they (these members) are not present in the House to listen to the response to the discussion. Rijiju was referring to the comments of independent member Kapil Sibal, who opposed the bill. The minister said Sibal has created confusion on the bill by comparing the properties of Waqf bodies with those of other religious bodies.

7.During the discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025 and the Muslim Waqf (Abolition) Bill in the Upper House, Sibal opposed the proposed law and said non-Muslims also have the right to create Waqfs. "When the land is mine, who are you to make laws for it," he said, referring to judgments of various high courts.

8.He said Hindu (religious) institutions have more than 10 lakh acres of land in four states. Sibal said, "In Hinduism, self-acquired property can be given to sons, not daughters."

9. Addressing Sibal, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he (Sibal) has given different legal clarifications. Dhankhar said that self-acquired property can be given to son, daughter or anyone else, as it is the law of the country.

10.Participating in the discussion, Congress member Imran Pratapgarhi opposed the bill and said that if the government is concerned about the welfare of Muslims then it should have taken the community into confidence before bringing this bill in the House.

Also Read: Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha: 'No committee has done as much work as JPC has done'; - Rijiju

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