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After the Supreme Court questioned the inclusion of non-Muslims in the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal defended the amendment, stating that the Waqf Board is a statutory and administrative entity, not a religious one, and thus, there is no constitutional bar on including members from other communities.
Speaking to ANI, Pal, who was also the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, pointed out that the top court itself had said that the Waqf Board is not a religious body but a legal one. "It''s a valid question. But the thing is that the Supreme Court is asking this question today, while such orders have been passed in the past. The Supreme Court had said that the Waqf Board is not a religious body but a legal one that looks after the Waqf properties. Similarly, in another order, it was said that Waqf is a statutory and administrative body and not a religious one. Hence, it''s not an interference in religious matters, and if it is an administrative body, it''s completely fine to have both Muslim and non-Muslim members in it," Jagdambika Pal said. Further, the BJP MP targeted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over violence in Murshidabad and said that President''s rule should be imposed there. "It is the responsibility of the state government to ensure law and order. Today the situation in Bengal is like that of 1947 when people fled from Pakistan but today people are fleeing in their own country. This is the ultimate failure of the government. President''s rule should be imposed there," Pal said. Meanwhile, on the issue of non-Muslim members in Waqf Boards and Councils, the Supreme Court had said that the nearest example is the Hindu Charitable Endowments Act. "Whenever it comes to Hindu endowments, it would be Hindus who would be governing," Justice Viswanathan had said. The top court had questioned the government on how Waqf-by-user can be disallowed, as many will not have the requisite documents to get such Waqfs registered. CJI had asked the Solicitor General, "How will government register such Waqfs-by-user? What documents will they have? It will lead to undoing something. Yes, there is some misuse but there are genuine ones also... If you undo it, then it will be a problem." (ANI)
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