'Will they take me on Shirdi, Tirupati temple trusts?' AIMIM leader on Waqf Bill

Former MP and AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel on Thursday, 3 April, alleged that the government wants to hand over land to big industrialists by amending the existing Waqf Act and sought to know if non-Muslims will be appointed to trusts managing major temples.

Talking to reporters, he claimed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, seeks to protect politicians who have grabbed Waqf properties.

The Maharashtra unit president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) questioned the rationale behind appointing non-Muslim members to waqf boards, as proposed in the Bill, and sought to know if representatives from the minority community can join trusts managing big temples.

"If non-Muslims are going to be appointed on the waqf board, are they going to include Imtiaz Jaleel in Shirdi Saibaba (temple) trust or trust?

"If such a board comes up for the Sikh community, no non-Sikh can be appointed. So, why such things are for the waqf board only?" he questioned.

The former Lok Sabha MP from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) alleged that people from certain political parties have grabbed waqf lands and the bill seeks to protect such individuals.

"If you go and see in various districts, waqf lands have been grabbed by political leaders. This bill has been brought to save these political leaders and legally hand over these lands to big industrialists," he claimed.

Waqf refers to personal property — moveable or immovable — that is permanently donated by Muslims for religious or charitable purposes. The bill purportedly seeks to amend the Act of 1995 in order to 'improve' the administration and management of waqf properties in the country.

However, Jaleel noted there are adequate safeguards in the existing Act to prevent misuse of Waqf properties.

"The Central Waqf Council comes under the Union government. The chairman is decided by the chief minister (in state waqf boards). If any wrong is happening, the Centre and the state concerned has the right to set up an inquiry. It is said the waqf board has the third-largest land parcels under its control (after Railways and defence forces), but this is merely on paper," Jaleel claimed.

The former MP said that, going by the speeches made in Parliament during discussion on the bill, it is clear the government just wants to create another controversial issue.

"After the CAA, NRC, Aurangzeb (tomb issue) and the Waqf Bill, they (government) will see what else they can bring against the Muslim community," he maintained.

"There is no difference between those who are against and those who are in favour of the bill. But the government has numbers (in Parliament to get approval for the bill)," the AIMIM said.

Jaleel also spoke about large number of cases pending in courts related to waqf properties.

"District collector will determine ownership of such properties and as per the bill, the waqf board can appeal in higher courts (against collector's orders).

"But as of 2025, more than 5.2 crore cases are pending in courts. Now they want more cases. When will justice be served?" he asked.