Madhya Pradesh Becomes First State to Appoint Hindu Members to Waqf Board Under New 2025 Waqf Act
The Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board has been reconstituted under the new Waqf Act implemented in 2025. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to appoint Hindu members to the Waqf Board. The state government has appointed two Hindu members to the board under the new Act. The board is provisioned to have a total of 11 members, including certain ex-officio members such as the Chairman of the State Bar Council and the Commissioner of Backward Classes and Minority Welfare. While the Bar Council election process is currently underway in Madhya Pradesh, appointments for all other positions have been made, with the exception of the Bar Council Chairman; the notification for these appointments was issued by the Department of Backward Classes and Minority Welfare. In addition to Chairman Dr. Sanavvar Patel, the board includes existing members Najma Heptulla, MLA Atif Aqeel (Bhopal North), Faizan Khan (Ujjain), Fatima Chaudhary (Indore), Councilor Shaista Sultan (Bairasia, Bhopal), and Councilor Shabana Khan (Ratlam); Manoj Malpani (Indore) and Animesh Bhargava (Raghogarh) have been appointed as the Hindu members. Previously, Arif Aqeel served as a board member in his capacity as an MLA; following his demise, his son Atif Aqeel has been given the seat. Atif Aqeel will also be included in the board once the State Bar Council Chairman is elected, thereby completing the full roster of 11 members. It is worth noting that the Waqf Act was amended in 2025 to enhance the transparency of the Waqf Board.