Suspend Waqf Act, reconsider provisions: Mayawati to Centre
Lucknow, Apr 10 (PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday asked the Centre to reconsider the provisions in the new Waqf law and suspend it for the time being.
Mayawati noted that the recently passed Act's provision of including non-Muslims in the Waqf Board prima facie does not appear good.
"The provision allowing a non-Muslim to be a part of the State Waqf Board appears to be wrong and the Muslim community is also raising objections to it. It would be better if the central government reconsidered and suspended the Waqf Act to reform other similar controversial provisions," Mayawati told select news agencies in Lucknow on Thursday.
Parliament approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on April 4 after the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the contentious legislation following an over 13-hour debate.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha on April 3, with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it. President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Bill on April 5.
Mayawati further said like the long-standing demand of Buddhist monks and followers for the sole control over the management of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, the Muslim community too has raised genuine concerns about external interference in their religious matters.
"The BSP demands that the Centre immediately halt the implementation of the Waqf Act and address the concerns through necessary amendments. Just as Buddhists have protested the Mahabodhi Temple Management Act of 1949 -- enacted during the Congress era -- Muslims are also justified in opposing unnecessary interference in their religious affairs," she said.
Referring to the 1949 Bodh Gaya Temple Act, Mayawati pointed out that it allows for a management committee comprising four Hindus and four Buddhists, chaired by the district magistrate.
"This very structure is discriminatory and inappropriate, and a violation of the secular spirit of the Indian Constitution," she said.
"The Mahabodhi temple is a revered pilgrimage site for Buddhists across the world. Its management and religious duties should rest solely with Buddhist monks and followers. Government interference has led to tension and dissatisfaction among the Buddhist community," Mayawati added.
Drawing parallels, she said religious autonomy and management should lie with those who follow the faith.
"Whether it's the Waqf Board or the Bodh Gaya Temple, government interference, especially by members of other religions, creates avoidable disputes. The government must ensure that religious institutions are managed by those who practice the faith," she asserted.
Mayawati appealed to the NDA governments at the Centre and in Bihar to amend the Bodh Gaya Temple Act in accordance with constitutional secularism and the long-standing demands of the Buddhist community.
She reiterated the BSP's position that all religious communities should be given the autonomy to manage their religious institutions.
"Governments must shed political motives and act strictly according to the Constitution when dealing with religious issues. It is in the best interest of the nation," she said.
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Bhojshala case: Disputed structure built from remains of pre-existing temples, claims ASI
Indore (PTI): The ASI has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that a massive structure dating back to the Paramara kings' rule existed at the disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex, and the current structure was built from the remains of temples.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) made the claim on Tuesday based on its 98-day scientific survey and over 2,000-page report.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side claims the monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex is protected by the ASI.
During the hearing before Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the HC's Indore bench, Additional Solicitor General Sunil Kumar Jain, representing the ASI, presented a detailed account of the scientific survey conducted two years ago at the complex.
Referring to the ASI's survey report, he said, "Retrieved architectural remains, sculptural fragments, large slabs of inscriptions with literary texts, Nagakarnika inscriptions on pillars, etc, suggest that a large structure associated with literary and educational activities existed at the site. Based on scientific investigations and archaeological remains recovered during the investigations, this pre-existing structure can be dated to the Paramara period."
It can be said that the existing structure was made from the parts of earlier temples, based on scientific investigations, survey and archaeological excavations conducted, study and analysis of retrieved finds, study of architectural remains, sculptures, and inscriptions, art and sculptures, Jain said quoting the report.
Summarising the report, he also drew the court's attention to the fact that the archaeological study identifies that many architectural components, such as pillars and beams, were originally part of temple structures before being repurposed for a mosque.
"The evidence of this transition includes Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions that were damaged or hidden, alongside sculptures of deities and animals that were often mutilated or defaced," Jain contended.
The report also states that "all Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions are older than the Arabic and Persian inscriptions, indicating that users or engravers of the Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions occupied the place earlier".
In light of the Muslim side's earlier objections, the bench wanted to know why there were some discrepancies in the ASI's responses regarding the status of the disputed complex in the cases filed over the years.
The Additional Solicitor General argued that earlier studies of the complex involved only officials, while the current survey involved scientists and the use of advanced technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Wednesday.
The high court has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal regarding the religious nature of the Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex since April 6.
