Rajya Sabha passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 with 128–95 votes
PTC News Desk: Days after much longer heated debated, the Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 in the early hours of Friday with 128 votes in favour and 95 against.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Ayes 128 and Noes 95, Absent zero. The Bill is passed."
The bill will now be forwarded to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent. After that, it will become an Act.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition parties of trying to mislead people on the Waqf Amendment Bill and said it will benefit crores of people from the Muslim community. Replying to the over 12-hour-long debate on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Rijiju said several suggestions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee had been incorporated in the revised bill.
"When the Waqf Amendment Bill was first drafted and the bill that we are passing now, there are a lot of changes. The bill would have been completely different if we had not accepted anyone's suggestions," he said.
Earlier the bill was passed in the lower house of the Parliament on Thursday after over 12 hours debate. The bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 voted against it.
- With inputs from agencies
