PM defends Waqf law as pro-women

Hours after the government on Thursday undertook not to act on three provisions of the Waqf Amendment law which the Supreme Court had red flagged yesterday, PM Narendra Modi defended the legislation saying it was mainly brought to end the suffering of Muslim women, especially widows.

The PM’s defence of the law came during his interaction with members of the Dawoodi Bohra community who visited him at his official residence here and thanked him for Waqf reforms. “Several years of work have gone behind piloting the Waqf Amendment Act. We have taken note of the many difficulties people have faced due to Waqf. One of the key drivers behind the law was the fact that majority sufferers of the prevalent system were women, especially widows,” PM Modi told Dawoodi Bohras who shared personal stories of how their community’s properties were wrongfully claimed by Waqf.

The visiting Bohra leaders lauded the PM for fulfilling their “long-pending demand to reform the Waqf law” and spoke about the Prime Minister’s special connection with the community.

The Bohras’ welcome for the new law came even as the Congress, one of the main petitioners against the law, claimed victory in round one of the ongoing legal battle in the Supreme Court. Congress veteran Abhishek Manu Singhvi, citing an effective interim stay on three controversial Sections until the next date of hearing on May 5, thanked the apex court which is currently hearing multiple challenges to the Waqf law.

The government’s undertaking to the SC today means three controversial provisions will not apply till the court hears the matter on the next date and takes a decision. These provisions are appointment of non-Muslims to Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards and denotification of waqf by user properties should they be in dispute.

India