Khan asserted that he will not allow the central government to take over the waqf properties.
BJP president JP Nadda said on Sunday that the party does not seek to control the Waqf Board but wants to ensure that those managing it operate within the bounds of law and adhere to established rules. He said the properties and funds of the Waqf Board should be dedicated to promoting education, providing healthcare and employment opportunities for the Muslim community. Nadda also highlighted the BJP's growth and achievements, emphasizing its commitment to national unity and cultural heritage.
They stated that when a soldier fights for the nation, he does so not as a Hindu, Muslim, or any other religion, but as a patriot.
'Only because of the absence of a dedication record in writing, how can such properties be treated as located on misappropriated government land?'
The Archaeological Survey of India informed the JPC that 280 protected monuments have been listed as Waqf properties.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has announced its intention to challenge the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in court, labeling it a "black law" that threatens the community's rights. The AIMPLB, a major organization representing Muslims in India, asserts that the Bill, if passed, would lead to the seizure of Muslim properties and undermine the autonomy of Waqf Boards. The organization plans to launch nationwide protests against the Bill, echoing the farmers' agitation, and has urged all citizens to resist the legislation. The Bill has been met with criticism from various quarters, including opposition parties, who claim that the Centre is rushing it through Parliament without adequately addressing concerns raised by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
'We are not all Abduls, you know. Our community has any number of retired civil and defence officers, doctors, engineers, lawyers.'
Earlier, board's counsel Zafaryab Jilani had said that he is not satisfied with the verdict.
The Supreme Court expressed its disapproval of an analogy used by the Centre in support of the inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf boards, stating that such logic would disqualify a bench of Hindu judges from hearing matters related to Waqf. The CJI questioned the Centre's stance on the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which allows non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and state waqf boards. The Solicitor General defended the provisions, emphasizing that the non-Muslim inclusion is limited and does not impact the Muslim composition of these bodies. However, the CJI asserted that judges shed their religious affiliations while serving on the bench and maintained their secularity in their judicial capacity.
Underscoring the 'presumption of constitutionality in favour of law', the Supreme Court on Tuesday said petitioners challenging the waqf law needed a 'strong and glaring' case for interim relief.
'Under this amendment, in any dispute over Waqf properties, the Waqf Board cannot approach the court.' 'This is very surprising because the government instead of protecting Waqf properties they are snatching it away and not allowing them to go to court.' 'The third biggest landowner in India is the Waqf Board after the Indian Army and Indian Railways.'
Opposition MPs, some of whom have given their dissent, slammed the exercise as undemocratic, claiming that they were given little time to study the final report and frame their dissent notes.
The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that nobody can claim right over government land and it is legally empowered to reclaim properties which are declared waqf by using the waqf by user principle.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday for more than 13 hours in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board under his chairmanship, officials said.
A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, claiming it was a "blatant intrusion" into the rights of a religious denomination to manage its own affairs in the matter of religion. The plea, filed by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul Ulema, argues that the amendments would distort the religious character of Waqfs and irreversibly damage the democratic process in their administration. Several other petitions have been filed in the apex court challenging the validity of the bill, including those by Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan.
The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with the ruling NDA defending it as beneficial for minorities while the opposition called it "anti-Muslim". All amendments moved by the opposition were rejected and the bill was passed with 288 votes in favor and 232 against. Union Minorities Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that India is the safest place in the world for minorities, refuting claims of their insecurity.
'When voting clause by clause on Waqf came up in the JPC, the TDP and JD-U supported the BJP on each and every clause.'
Only four working days are left for the ongoing budget session to come to an end on April 4.
The parliamentary committee scrutinising the Waqf bill is set to propose that existing 'Waqf by user' properties will remain so if not in dispute or are government facilities but they must be registered before the new law takes effect, providing little relief to Waqf bodies in their unverified title claims.
A court in New Delhi on Thursday refused to take cognisance of a chargesheet filed against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board and ordered his 'immediate release', saying his further incarceration in the matter would be 'illegal'.
The Anti-Corruption Branch on Friday arrested Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan after conducting raids at premises linked to him in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment, officials said.
The parliamentary panel's meetings have become a virtual battleground between the opposition and the ruling party members, who have been vociferously debating the changes to the Waqf Bill proposed by the government.
The TDP and the LJP also supported the Bill being sent to a parliamentary committee for further examination.
A meeting of the joint committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Friday witnessed fireworks with members vociferously opposing certain provisions of the draft legislation, leading to a brief walkout by opposition members.
Hitting out at the Congress government headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he said the ruling party has reached "height of appeasement politics," and alleged that it has in a way made appeasement of minorities its "goal."
Both factions of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Arshad Madani and Mahmood Madani) slammed the Bill and expressed grave concerns over the proposed legislation.
Kaushar Imam Siddique alias Laddan, 47, a resident of Jogabai Extension, was wanted in a case of Arms Act registered against him after a country-made pistol and three live rounds were found in his premises, they said.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the custodian of Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, has barred 18 employees from participating in all religious activities for allegedly partaking in non-Hindu activities. The decision has been defended by the Andhra Pradesh government, citing the need to protect the religious sentiments of Hindu devotees. The move has sparked debate, with some supporting the TTD's stance and others criticizing it as discriminatory.
The parliamentary committee scrutinizing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has been granted an extension until the last day of the next Budget Session. This decision follows a heated meeting marked by a walkout from opposition members who expressed concerns about the committee's draft report. The committee will visit several states to meet stakeholders and finalize its report.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan, who was arrested on Friday in connection with an alleged corruption case, was sent to a four-day Anti-Corruption Bureau's (ACB) custody for questioning on Saturday.
Delhi Waqf Board chairman Amanatullah Khan in a letter to ASI director general, last week, requested for allowing namaz at the "ancient" Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Qutab Minor complex.
It also cautioned that if the legislation is passed, the "two crutches" on which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is running at the Centre would not be able to escape responsibility.
The Delhi high court on Thursday sought the stand of the central government and Central Waqf Council on a PIL seeking to declare that the Waqf Act is in violation of the Constitution and that private properties of citizens can only be governed by a Uniform Civil Code.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Environment Minister Gopal Rai visited the Eidgah in Mustafabad and interacted with locals besides taking stock of facilities being provided by the government at relief camps.
Several Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, hit out at the BJP government at the Centre, saying agencies are targeting those who raised their voice against the ruling party.
'The irony of this country is that the party in Opposition and the party in power both depend on Muslims.'
In his letter, Khan stated that he has 'run out of patience' of issuing clarifications to the public pleading innocence over a number of allegations levelled against him and his family members.
The President's office has condemned comments made by Congress leaders regarding President Droupadi Murmu's address to Parliament, stating that they hurt the dignity of the high office. The statement clarified that the President was not tired during her speech and that the comments were in "poor taste" and "unacceptable." The Congress leaders had reportedly discussed the speech, with Sonia Gandhi commenting on the President's alleged tiredness. The statement suggested that the leaders may have misunderstood the President's speech due to their unfamiliarity with Indian languages.
The Centre on Monday told the Delhi high court that Mughal Mosque in South Delhi's Mehrauli area is a "protected monument" and sought time to state its stand on a plea against the stopping of offering namaaz by devotees there.
The court was hearing a petition against the stopping of prayers by devotees inside the Mughal Mosque which, according to ASI, falls within the category of protected monuments on account of being part of the Qutub complex.
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