Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday wrote a letter to Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) chairman BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, saying that the report submitted by Delhi Waqf Board must be treated as "null and void". The Chief Minister said that the report was submitted without getting the Delhi government's approval.
"This report has been submitted by IAS Ashwini Kumar (administrator of the Delhi Waqf Board) without the approval of the government of the NCT of Delhi and therefore may be treated as ab initio null and void. Any presentation on the same may be cancelled till a report is submitted with the approval of the Government of NCT of Delhi," the letter reads.
Protesting over the Delhi Waqf Board's report, several opposition leaders walked out of the JPC meeting today.
Reiterating Chief Minister Atishi's remark, the opposition leaders claimed that the Delhi Waqf Board administrator made changes to the presentation without the knowledge of the Delhi government, news agency PTI reported.
AAP member Sanjay Singh, the DMK's Mohammed Abdulla, the Congress's Naseer Hussain, and Mohamed Jawed, among others, walked out of the meeting.
They claimed that the MCD Commissioner and the Delhi Waqf Board administrator have completely changed the initial report without taking the Chief Minister's nod.
On August 8, the government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha, saying that the law was aimed to streamline the Waqf Board's work and ensure the efficient management of Waqf properties.
It was immediately sent to a joint parliamentary committee after opposition parties and Muslim organisations expressed concerns, claiming that the bill was a targeted measure against the community and an infringement on its constitutional rights.
The JPC had in August invited views and suggestions from the public, NGOs, experts, stakeholders, and institutions on the law that the NDA government had proposed to change the Waqf law.
It gave a 15-day window for people to send in their feedback.
