Adivasis’ Leader Thank Modi For Keeping Their Lands Out Of The Newly Amended Waqf Act

Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram has thanked the Modi government for exempting Adivasi (tribal) lands from the purview of the newly amended Waqf Board Act. An important outfit of the Sangh Parivar, the Ashram had urged the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for such a relaxation. It had brought to the notice of the JPC that large scale Waqf registrations had been loaded on the Adivasi lands in several states in contravention of the 5th and 6th Schedule of the Constitution. After verifying the claim, the JPC recommended to the government to grant such an exemption. Minority Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju was also petitioned by the Ashram. Its president Satyendra Singh has thanked the Union government for this gesture. In a statement, Singh says the Adivasis across the country are elated owing to this decision, announced by Rijiju in the Lok Sabha while speaking on the Waqf Act Amendment Bill. The other insertion in the new Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 provides for prevention of ASI-protected monuments. It pertains to historical monuments. The amendment concerned says that any declaration or notification issued under this Act or under any previous Act in respect of Waqf properties shall be void, if such property was a protected monument or protected area under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 or the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, at the time of such declaration or notification. This means ASI-protected monuments have now been excluded from Waqf’s ambit.