The new J&K Waqf Board shall be having at least two woman members, as mandated by the Central Waqf Act which has been implemented here after the abrogation of the special Constitutional position of J&K.
BJP leader and Chairperson of the Central Waqf Development Committee, Darakhshan Andrabi, said the process to implement the Central Act has been initiated. “At least two members appointed on the Board shall be women,” the Act reads.
The legislation provides that the Board shall consist of a Chairperson and not more than two members to be elected by each of the electoral colleges.
The electoral colleges consist Muslim members of Parliament from the concerned State or Union Territory, Muslim members of the State Legislature, Muslim members of the Bar Council of the concerned State or Union Territory.
Election of the members shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
The legislation itself clarifies that in case there is no Muslim member of the Bar Council of a State or a Union Territory, the State Government or the Union Territory administration, as the case may be, may nominate any senior Muslim advocate from that State or the Union Territory.
Where the number of Muslim Members of Parliament, the State Legislature or the State Bar Council, as the case may be, is only one, such Muslim member shall be declared to have been elected on the Board.
In case there are no Muslim members in Parliament, State Legislature or Bar Council, the ex-Muslim members of these institutions shall constitute the electoral college.
No Minister of the Central Government or State Government shall be elected or nominated as a member of the Board.
The Act provides that in case of a Union Territory, the Board shall consist of not less than five and not more than seven members to be appointed by the Central Government.