New Delhi, April 3 -- The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill - Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Bill (UMEED) - well past midnight on Wednesday after a marathon 12-hour-long debate, with Home Minister Amit Shah categorically assuring the Muslim community that the new Bill does not interfere with their religious practices.

The Home Minister also accused the Opposition of "fear- mongering" for the sake of "vote bank" politics. The debate, which started on Wednesday afternoon (Apr. 2), went past midnight with a division of votes, as the Bill was passed with 288 MPs voting in favour and 232 against.

Intervening in the debate, Shah made it clear that a mutawalli or the manager/ administrator of a Waqf - ...