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Delhi Waqf Board’s report to parliamentary panel is ‘null and void’, says CM Atishi
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Delhi Waqf Board’s report to parliamentary panel is ‘null and void’, says CM Atishi

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi He on Monday demanded that a report submitted by the Delhi Waqf Board to a parliamentary committee examining the Waqf Amendment Bill be treated as null and void, India Today reported.

The report was submitted by Delhi Waqf board administrator Ashwini Kumar without the Delhi government’s approval, Atishi told Jagadambika Pal, chairman of the parliamentary joint committee.

The commission examines The Waqf Amendment Bill following objections from opposition parties when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Opposition members walked out of a committee meeting on Monday after the Delhi government alleged that the report was sent without its approval. Among those who walked out in protest were All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin OwaisiCongress MLA Mohammad Jawed and Samajwadi Party MLA Mohibbullah Nadvi respectively Indian Express.

They alleged that the administrator of the Delhi Waqf board made changes in the Delhi government’s submission without the chief minister’s approval.

However, the Opposition members returned to the meeting after some time, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified sources.

During the previous committee meeting on October 22, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for a day after he broke a water bottle and threw it at Jagadambika Pal.

The incident was reportedly triggered by a heated argument between Banerjee and BJP MLA Abhijit Gangopadhyay while the commission was hearing the views of two organizations from Odisha – Justice in Reality and Panchasakha Bani Prachar Mandali.

Banerjee was not present at Monday’s meeting, it said Indian Express.

And on October 14, opposition MPs walked out of a committee meeting in protest, alleging that allegations had been made against opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

A waqf is property given to Muslims for a religious, educational or charitable cause. In India, waqfs are governed by the Waqf Act. Each state has a Waqf Board headed by a legal entity that has the power to acquire, hold and transfer property. The law was last amended in 2013.

The parliamentary company sought written suggestions from the public, experts, non-governmental organizations and institutions, among others, on the draft law. It received more than 1.2 million email responses, both for and against the bill.

Read also: Why Muslim leaders oppose new waqf bill