128 Ayes, 95 noes, 0 abstentions: Rajya Sabha’s 12-hour showdown ends with Waqf (Amendment) Bill’s passage
Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Friday with 128 members voting in favour and 95 against it. With the Lok Sabha having already passed the Bill on Wednesday, it is set to become law after the approval of the President of India.
The debate on the Bill was marred by frequent heated exchanges between the Treasury and the Opposition benches. In a House with total strength of 236, members present were 223 during voting. After all amendments moved by Opposition members were negatived, the Bill was passed at 2:33 am.
In his introductory remarks during the debate on the Bill, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill aims to bring transparency and accountability in the Waqf Boards. “Some people have said this Bill is aimed at harming Muslims and is unconstitutional. I want to dismiss these charges…We do not want to hurt anybody’s sentiments,” he said. The minister emphasized that there is no attempt to interfere in the religious practices of Muslims.
Appealing to the Opposition to not engage in politics and rhetoric during the debate, Rijiju said the Narendra Modi government has shown the courage to carry out what Congress and other parties could not in the past.
He reiterated his words that Waqf properties worth thousands of crores were not bringing any substantial benefits to the Muslims. If these properties are used well, they would benefit the poor Muslims and women, he added.
Live Events
“Waqf or any property has to have title or registration or proof. Some document or proof will have to be shown. If you verbally say that your ancestors owned it, you will have to show some document. Waqf by user cannot be arbitrary. We have removed this as it has been misused a lot. We will not interfere