Govt Wants To Take Control Over 123 Waqf Properties In Delhi: Amanatullah Khan On Waqf Amendment Bill
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan said that the government wants to get control over 123 properties, including Delhi Gate and Jor Bagh cemeteries with the Waqf Amendment Bill.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and former Delhi Waqf Board chairman Amanatullah Khan on Wednesday hit out at the government over the Waqf Amendment Bill and called it an attempt to seize Waqf properties.
The Okhla MLA claimed that the government wants to get control over 123 properties, including Delhi Gate and Jor Bagh cemeteries.
"Amit Shah said 123 Waqf properties are in prime location. They want to capture these properties. They will capture those land which are not under Waqf in revenue records...Do they plan to seize these properties, just as they did with the graveyard at Mata Sundri Road and the buildings behind Lal Masjid? If a property is not recorded as Waqf in the revenue records, the government will claim it as its own," Amanatullah Khan said.
He questioned what the government intends to do with these properties. Khan also pointed out that several properties listed in revenue records as Waqf lands are at risk.
VIDEO | Waqf (Amendment) Bill: Here's what AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan (@KhanAmanatullah) said:
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 2, 2025
"Amit Shah has just stated that 130 Waqf properties are located in prime locations, but what are BJP’s true intentions? Do they plan to seize these properties, just as they did with the… pic.twitter.com/ZMrFqOW40k
"There are many properties in the revenue records that are not formally registered under Waqf, including cemeteries and mosques. These lands are categorised as Waqf by user, but now they want to seize them," Khan added.
The AAP MLA's remarks come as Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha earlier today. The government said that the bill seeks to improve the functioning of Waqf properties, address complexities, ensure transparency and introduce technology-driven management.
Tabling the Bill, which was examined and redrafted by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), Rijiju said the legislation has nothing to do with religion, but deals only with properties. The government is not going to interfere in any religious institution.
Meanwhile, Amanatullah Khan pointed out that religious institutions of other communities remain under their own management.
"There is no external involvement in the Gurdwara Management Committee, temples, or churches. Then why is there an attempt to interfere in Waqf properties? This is a clear attempt to take control," he said.
Rijiju said that the consultation process of the JPC was the largest-ever exercise carried out by a parliamentary panel in India's democratic history.
The minister said more than 97.27 lakh petitions and memorandums were received by the JPC through physical and online formats and the JPC had gone through each of them before finalising its report. As many as 284 delegations submitted their views on the Bill besides the Waqf boards of 25 states and Union Territories.
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