????? What's the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024? | ????Was Vinesh Phogat 'forced' to compete in the 50kg category?

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Centre tables Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 today in Lok Sabha — What & Why is it needed?

The Centre has tabled the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha, which seeks to address issues related to the State Waqf Boards, waqf properties, and illegal occupations.

In the parliament: The opposition staged a walkout with the Congress calling the bill 'unconstitutional'. JD(U) MP & Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan defended the bill and questioned how it was against Muslims to bring transparency.

Here’s what KC Venugopal said:

Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan’s counter:

What is the Waqf board and why is it controversial??Waqf board is the third-largest property owner in India, after Railways and Defence. Waqf Boards oversee approximately 870,000 properties spanning around 940,000 acres.

• This act was established to regulate ''auqaf' — assets donated and designated as waqf — by a wakif, the individual who dedicates property for purposes recognised by Muslim law as pious, religious, or charitable.

So can it claim any property? The?board has to prove that the lands were noted as 'Waqf property' in the revenue department’s records before Partition.

The details: The bill aims to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, specifically addressing the powers and functioning of State Waqf Boards and the removal of encroachments.

• The bill proposes the creation of a Central Waqf Council alongside existing state Waqf Boards. These bodies will include representation from Muslim women and non-Muslims, with a mandate to appoint at least two women to all state boards and the central council. It also removes the requirement that the CEO of a Waqf Board must be from the Muslim community.
• The District Collector is designated as the primary authority to determine whether a property is classified as Waqf or government land. This responsibility was previously held by the Waqf Tribunal.
• The bill mandates a valid waqfnama (official deed) for the dedication of properties as Waqf, eliminating the current provision that allows for oral declarations. Properties without a valid waqfnama will be treated as suspect or disputed until the District Collector makes a final decision.
• The central government will have the authority to initiate audits of Waqf properties through auditors appointed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
• The new bill allows for appeals to high courts, providing an additional layer of judicial oversight that was not present in the previous law.
• The bill proposes to redefine waqf to include only those waqfs established by individuals who have been practicing Islam for at least five years and who have ownership of the property being dedicated.
• The concept of waqf by user refers to properties that have been considered waqf due to long-term usage for religious or charitable purposes, even if there was no formal declaration or documentation. The bill seeks to eliminate this provision.
• It mandates that all income from waqf properties be spent on charity and includes provisions for a central portal for the registration and filing of accounts.

The alleged misuse: Allegations of issue stem from Section 40 of the Waqf Act, 1995, which gives the board the power to decide if a property is waqf property.

• Once this is decided, one can only appeal in a tribunal which has no timeline for the disposal of cases. 40,951 such cases are pending in tribunals related to alleged misuse of Waqf.?
• This irrevocability of Waqf properties has led to various disputes, including encroachment and ownership conflicts.?

Why this is needed: Recently there was a case in Tamil Nadu of a farmer who was shocked?to learn that his entire village was Waqf property; and in Madhya Pradesh, a judge sternly questioned how a protected monument was declared a waqf property. The proposed amendments mandate verification of Waqf property claims to resolve such disputes.

Pic du jour

Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaqin’s “relatable” reaction to her competitors biting their medals on the Olympic podium.

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Was Vinesh Phogat 'forced' to compete in the 50kg category? What went down in the Trials for the Olympics

The Indian Express and The Hindu carried reports that Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was pushed to a corner to compete in a weight category which required a difficult weight cut, jeopardizing her Paris Olympic dreams. Here's the complete story.?

The trials: Vinesh competed in trials for both the 50kg and 53kg categories, which was unprecedented (but not unheard of). According to Article 7 of the United World Wrestling (UWW), a contestant is allowed to participate in only one weight category per day. But since these were trials for the Olympics the decision was left to the selection committee.?

• Vinesh demanded a written assurance from authorities that a final trial would be held in the 53kg category before the Olympics.?IOA ad-hoc panel agreed and held a final trial.
• The top four wrestlers in 53kg would compete, and the winner would face world championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal as she had?already secured a berth in the category.?
• Vinesh was allowed to compete in the 53kg qualifying bout but she lost to Anju 0-10 in the semi-finals. ?? Here’s a tweet by IANS from March 11.

• Vinesh competed in the 50kg bout and secured a place in the Qualifiers held in Kyrgyzstan.?
• Many publications (Free Press Journal,? TOI, The Hindu, Firstpost, Indian Express) including The Sportstar had reported on this trial and the drama that ensued in the March trials.

In fact, this report detailed why Phogat chose the 50kg category instead of bulking up for the 57kg category after surgery.

Of Note: WFI did not oversee the trials for the 53kg category. The trials were conducted by the IOA's ad-hoc committee and the same was conveyed to the UWW before the Olympics to avoid any controversy.

The concern: Phogat's usual walk-around weight is around 55-56 kg, making the weight cut to 50 kg extremely challenging.

• This report notes that she barely made the cut for the weight category during the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in April this year. Even at 53kg, she struggled with weight loss causing frequent injuries.?

Misleading chatter: Most of the tweets online miss the key information that Vinesh was allowed to compete in the 53kg category and lost out in the semis. She was given a chance to face Antim Panghal before selection. Vinesh later competed in 50kg and secured a berth.?

• Viren Rasquinha, CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, clarified the events surrounding Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the Paris Olympics 2024, stressing that no sabotage occurred, and all possible measures were taken. ??

Of note: While Rasquinha mentions that Vinesh lost out on the 53kg berth due to Antim securing it, he has not mentioned that upon Vinesh's insistence trials were held and she lost to a junior athlete in the semis within 18 seconds.

ICYMI

• ?? IOA has refuted reports that wrestler Antim Panghal is facing a three-year ban for a major disciplinary breach during the Paris Olympics 2024.
• ?? The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has accepted the appeal against Vinesh Phogat's disqualification, which means she could still hold on to the medal.
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