The third meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that has been formed to look into the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 met in Parliament on Thursday. In the meeting, a presentation was made by the senior officials of the Ministry of Urban Development, Railways and Road and Transport ministries.
While the focus of the urban development ministry presentation was largely on the Waqf properties in Delhi, it also brought to light the large number of disputes that existed on such properties. In the presentation, the ministry said that any such lands which are vested with the government will help avoid legal battles and unnecessary expenses of the public in disputes.
The title dispute arising out of overlapping jurisdiction has adversely impacted the ability of public authorities to manage public properties, which is not in public interest, it has been argued. Trading back to the properties that were declared as government properties and the disputed properties for the last century or so, Opposite MPs said that the officials were not able to give any direct answers on what decision was taken on these and on what basis. Opposition MPs said the officials chose to buy time and said that they would give a written written response. Some opposition MPs demanded that a written response should be circulated to all the members.
The Chairman, Railway Board and others, also made a presentation during the meeting. Sources said that during the course of the meeting, while the railway officials were making a presentation, Opposition MPs questioned as to why there was no objection when the railway tribunal was the final authority deciding disputes in railway cases, and why was the government was objecting to Waqf Tribunal being the deciding authority.
Sources also said that despite multiple requests of the said MP for the officials to answer his questions, they were unable to do so, and finally, the chairman had to intervene to say that the Railways would give this answer in writing.
In fact, there was a war of words between BJP’s Retired Justice Abhijeet Ganguly and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee. While Ganguly asked for the opposition to substantiate the law that they were speaking about in reference to the railway tribunals, Kalyan Banerjee strongly hit back at him, saying that he does not need to learn law from him.
The Opposition MPs also asked about the same Waqf Properties that they have been able to keep in their control, the Railways argued that they fought many cases, and were able to win many of them. However, when they were asked as to how many properties they had in their possession of the similar kind, the Railways was not able to give a satisfactory response. Therefore, the Opposition MPs asked that after all these years, if even after winning the cases, the government could not take the properties back, what was the point of bringing another law.
It was also brought up that near the railway tracks, there were many mosques that were on encroached lands. In response to this, the Opposition MPs asked the government to furnish data of the number of religious places that were cropping up on such grounds and whether they would be able to show and prove whether such religious establishments came up before laying the tracks or after.
Opposition MPs pointed out why the possession of 123 properties that were acquired by the British government in 1913-15 for the expansion of the capital city of Delhi as shown in the presentation wasn’t ever taken. In the 80s, when the policy was revised, it was decided to return their posession to the board, it was argued. Now with the decision of the government to take back the properties, the Opposition argued that there was total confusion over it. It was also argued why in 2019, the government regularised the encouragement of an authorised colonies, and did not remove such encroachments.
It was argued by certain members in the ruling dispensation that some specific questions were being asked by the Opposition parties in a bid to make the officials uncomfortable. The members said these questions were being asked by the Opposition parties, just to prove a point. For specific questions being asked on specific data, the various Ministry representatives agreed to give them to the committee in writing.
At the end of the meeting, many Opposition leaders joined the Chairman for a photo opportunity, which many said was a sign that the fireworks of the last meeting were coming down slowly.
On Friday, another round of meeting will take place in Parliament. It is expected to be a firey one where officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will appear.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024. After its introduction in Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on the floor of the House that the government of the day was ready to send this bill for Parliament scrutiny.
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