Bhopal, July 6 -- Under the provisions of the new Waqf Act, the Madhya Pradesh government has reconstituted the State Waqf Board, appointing two Hindu members-Animesh Bhargava and Manoj Malpani-as non-Muslim members.
"Madhya Pradesh has become the first State in the country to reconstitute its Waqf Board under the provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995, as amended in 2025," the State government said in a statement.
According to a gazette notification issued on July 4 by the Backward Classes and Minority Welfare (BC&MW) Department, the government has constituted a 10-member Board. BJP leader Sanwar Patel has been retained as its Chairperson.
The move has, however, drawn criticism from sections of the Muslim community. Congress MLA Arif Masood termed the decision "completely wrong", arguing that the constitutional validity of several provisions of the amended Act is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court.
Masood said he would move the Supreme Court challenging the State government's decision.
The other members of the Board are former Union Minister Nazma Heptullah, Congress MLA Atif Aqeel, Faizan Khan, Fatema Choudhary, Shaista Sultan, Shabana Khan, and the Commissioner of the BC&MW Department as an ex officio member.
"For years, the Waqf Board was controlled by the Waqf mafia. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the new law, which makes it mandatory to include women as well as non-Muslim members as experts. I also thank Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and his government for making Madhya Pradesh the first State to implement the new law," Patel said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, notified in April 2025, amended Sections 13(1) and 14 of the Waqf Act, 1995, making it mandatory for the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards to include at least two non-Muslim members.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.