While a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is deliberating on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha by the government, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath from Kerala has raised concerns “regarding the unlawful claims by the Waqf Board in the villages of Cherai & Munambam”.
In a letter addressed to the joint secretary of the Lok Sabha secretariat, he wrote, “Your kind and immediate attention is invited to the following grievance. In Ernakulam district of Kerala, numerous properties that have belonged to Christian families for generations in the villages of ‘Cherai & Munambam’ have been unlawfully claimed by the Waqf Board, leading to protracted legal battles and the displacement of rightful owners. Around 600 families are under threat. These people belong to the impoverished fishermen community. One Catholic Parish Church, Convent and dispensary are under threat of evacuation by the Waqf Board.”
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8. The government led by minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju then announced on the floor of the house that they were ready to send this bill for parliamentary scrutiny.
So far, the Waqf Act 1995 empowers the Waqf Board to declare any property or building as Waqf property in the name of charity.
Archbishop Andrews Thazhath in his letter also wrote, “The Syro-Malabar Public Affairs Commission requests the Joint Parliamentary Committee to consider the tragic situation of the people in these villages and many other parts of India who are under the threat of losing their household by the totally unjust and inhuman claims made by the Waqf Board. We request the committee to make suggestions to amend the Waqf Act 1995, on the basis of humanitarian and constitutional principles.”
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