Parliament panel approves changes to Waqf Bill including rule on 2 non-Muslim members

The bill seeks to make 44 contentious alterations to the way Muslim charitable properties are managed in the country.

The 14 changes include distinguishing between the mandatory two non-Muslim members - as specified in the original draft of the bill - and nominated ex-officio members (Muslim or non-Muslim), said reports.

This means waqf councils, whether at state or pan-India levels, will have at least two, and possibly more (if the nominated ex-officio members are also not Muslim) members who don't belong to the Islamic faith.

Another key change is directing an officer nominated by the concerned state to determine if a property is 'waqf'.

In the original draft, this decision was left to the District Collector.

These changes were proposed by members of the ruling BJP, including Lok Sabha MPs Nishikant Dubey, Tejasvi Surya and Aparajita Sarangi.