‘Inclusion of Non-Muslims on Waqf Boards Welcome, but Could Be Struck Down by Courts’: Faizan Mustafa

Faizan Mustafa, one of India’s foremost academic lawyers and the vice-chancellor of the Chanakya National Law University has said that he welcomes the inclusion of women, non-Muslims and people from Other Backward Caste (OBC) communities in Waqf Boards on the grounds of fairness and diversity.

However, he said that it could be struck down by courts because it breaches the principle of equal treatment of similar institutions. Mustafa’s advice to Muslim institutions contesting the passage of the Waqf Bill is to accept those parts of it that are positive and forward-looking whilst contesting those parts that they oppose.