The Central Government on Friday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on the Waqf Amendment Act. The Center said, ‘Waqf is not a religious institution of Muslims but a statutory body.’ The Center demanded the dismissal of all the petitions filed against the validity of Waqf (Amendment). The Center said, the courts cannot stay the statutory provision, can review the constitutional validity and give a decision. The concept of constitutionality applies to the laws made in Parliament. Changing the legislative system implemented by the legislature is not acceptable. On April 17, the Supreme Court had asked the Center to file a reply on the petitions filed against the Waqf Amendment Act within 7 days. The next hearing in this case will be on May 5. 7 big arguments in the affidavit of the Center Center said – Waqf is not religious but a secular body The Center made it clear in a 1332-page affidavit that non-Muslims will not have a majority in the Waqf bodies. The affidavit cited the provisions related to the formation of the Central Waqf Council (CWC) and the State Waqf Board (SWB). The government said that under the new law, the CWC has a total of 22 members, of which a maximum of four can be non-Muslims. At the same time, the SWB will have a total of 11 members, of which a maximum of three can be non-Muslims. Apart from this, if the ex-officio chairman of the bodies i.e. the Minister of Minority Affairs and the Joint Secretary are also Muslims, then only two members can be non-Muslims. This makes it clear that Muslims will have a majority in the Waqf bodies. Apart from this, the government argued that Waqf has evolved over time and it cannot be considered limited only to religious institutions and places of worship. Referring to old decisions, the government said that Waqf is not a religious but a secular body. Because of this, issues related to non-Muslims in Waqf may also need to be settled. It can also be a beneficiary, victim or affected party. This is the reason why this provision has been made to allow the participation of non-Muslims in Waqf. This is the reason why it is not right to compare Waqf with other religious institutions. Last two hearings on Waqf law… 16 April: Two-hour hearing against Waqf Amendment Act Supreme Court had sought response from the Centre on the petitions filed against Waqf Amendment Act. The court had expressed concern over the violence happening across the country in protest against Waqf Act. On this, SG Tushar Mehta had said that it should not seem that violence can be used to exert pressure. The court said that we will decide on this. During the hearing, Kapil Sibal had said that under the Waqf Act, Hindus will also be included in the board. This is a violation of rights. On this, the Supreme Court asked the Centre whether it is ready to allow Muslims to become a part of Hindu religious trusts. According to the donation law of Hindus, no outsider can be a part of the board. Read the full news… 17 April: Interim order given regarding Waqf law, appointments stopped. There was a 1 hour hearing on the Waqf Amendment Act. The court gave 7 days to the central government to file a reply. The court had said that instead of more than 70 petitions filed against the law, only 5 petitions should be filed. Only those will be heard. The hearing will be held on 5 May. The Supreme Court had asked to maintain status quo on the properties declared as Waqf until the Center’s reply comes. Till then the government will have to follow three instructions. During the hearing, the central government strongly opposed the court’s proposal to ban the provisions of the new Waqf Act. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta had said that a law passed by the Parliament ‘with proper deliberation’ should not be banned without hearing the government’s side. Read the full news… AIMPLB announced 87 days of protest The first phase of the ‘Waqf Bachao Abhiyan’ of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will start from April 11 and will continue till July 7, i.e. 87 days. In this, 1 crore signatures will be collected against the Waqf law, which will be sent to PM Modi. After this, the strategy for the next phase will be decided. What is Waqf ‘Waqf’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘Wakufa’, which means to stop, stop or prohibit. According to ‘Aukaf Properties Investment Fund’ (AIPF), an organization working on Waqf properties in 27 countries, in legal terms, when a person in Islam donates his property for religious reasons or in the name of God, then it is called property Waqf. Then whether it is an amount of a few rupees or an entire building filled with precious diamonds and jewels. Generally such properties are called ‘Allah’s property’. A person who gives his property to Waqf is called ‘Waqifa’. Waqifa can put a condition that the income from his property should be spent only on education or hospitals. These properties cannot be sold or used for any purpose other than religion. During the time of Prophet Mohammad, a garden of 600 date palm trees is considered to be the earliest example of Waqf. The income from this was used to help the poor of Medina. How has the Waqf Board been working —————————————————– Read this news related to the matter as well… 14 major changes in Waqf law, women and non-Muslims will have entry in Waqf Board In India, after the Railways and Defense Ministry, the Waqf Board has the maximum land. About 9.4 lakh acres. 3 cities like Delhi can be settled in this much land. The central government will introduce a bill in the Parliament today to change the act related to this Waqf Board. Opposition leaders and a large section of Muslims are against it. Read the full news…
