Manoj Malpani and Animesh Bhargav: The two Hindus who became part of Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board

Waqf Board…Till now, whenever this name was mentioned, the picture that formed in people’s mind was that only people of Muslim community are its members. But now this picture has changed. The Madhya Pradesh government has taken a decision which has sparked a new political and legal debate across the country.

Under the new Waqf Amendment Act-2025, the state has reorganized the Waqf Board and for the first time, two Hindu members have also been given place in it. After all, how did this change become possible, what were the rules earlier, what does the new law say and what implications are being made of it now? Let us know this story in detail today…

How did the years old system change?

Under the Waqf Act, 1995, which was in force for nearly three decades, the structure of the state Waqf boards was such that members were mainly from the Muslim community. The government did nominate some members, but they also came from the Muslim community. Now after the implementation of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, a major change has been made in this system. In the new law, a provision has been made to include at least two non-Muslim members in the Waqf boards of the states.

Madhya Pradesh became the first state to take the step

After the implementation of the new law, the Madhya Pradesh government first reorganized its Waqf Board. According to the notification issued by the government, Sanwar Patel has once again been made the chairman of the 10-member board. For the first time, Manoj Malpani and Animesh Bhargava have been included as non-Muslim members in this board. The government claims that Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to do so under the new law.

Who is Manoj Malpani?

Manoj Malpani is a resident of Indore, Madhya Pradesh and has been active in social and public life for a long time. He has studied B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce) and has been participating in various social, religious and public welfare related programs. The Madhya Pradesh government, while reconstituting the State Waqf Board under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, has appointed Manoj Malpani as a Hindu member of the board.

With this appointment, Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to include non-Muslim (Hindu) members in its Waqf Board under the new Waqf Law. The government says that under the new law, Manoj Malpani and Animesh Bhargava have been made members with the aim of ensuring transparency and better administrative monitoring in the board.

Understand Manoj Malpani profile at a glance

• Name: Manoj Malpani
• Residence: Indore, Madhya Pradesh
• Education: B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce)
• Identity: Workers associated with social and public welfare activities
• Current Designation: Hindu Member of Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board
• Appointment: Members appointed in the new board constituted under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025
• Significance: One of the first Hindu members in the country to join the board formed after the new Waqf law.

After all, what does the Waqf Board do?

Waqf Board is a statutory body, whose job is to maintain, conserve and manage Waqf properties. The Board ensures that Waqf lands and properties are not illegally encroached upon, their records are kept safe and the income from them is used for religious, educational and social welfare purposes.

About Animesh Bhargava…

Animesh Bhargava is a social worker and leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resident of Raghogarh in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. He has recently been appointed member of Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board. With his joining the board constituted under the new Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, he has become the first non-Muslim (Hindu) member to be appointed to any state Waqf board in the country.

Education and professional career

Animesh Bhargava has done MBA in Finance Management. Before becoming active in politics, he worked in the banking and financial sector for about 18 years. During this period, he also worked as a manager in HDFC Bank.

political and social journey

About ten years ago, he decided to leave his bank job and become fully active in public and political life. After this, he became associated with the organizational work of BJP and is currently serving as the state media panelist of the party. He has also played a role in coordinating various programs and organizational activities in the BJP state office based in Bhopal.

Animesh Bhargava’s father Ashok Bhargava is a senior advocate. He has also been identified as a close friend of senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. However, Animesh Bhargava adopted the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP from the very beginning and moved his political journey forward in the same direction.

Why is it in discussion in Waqf Board?

The Madhya Pradesh government reconstituted the State Waqf Board in July 2026 under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. According to the new law, it is mandatory to include at least two non-Muslim members in the board. Under this provision, Animesh Bhargava and Manoj Malpani have been appointed as members. This appointment is being considered historic because he is the first non-Muslim member to join any state Waqf board formed after the new law.

What is the biggest change in the new law?

Under the Waqf Amendment Act-2025, states will have to include at least two non-Muslim members in their Waqf boards. The government argues that this will bring more transparency in the functioning of the board and better monitoring of the management of assets. However, different political and social reactions are also emerging across the country regarding this change.

Why did a new debate arise now?

After this decision of Madhya Pradesh, a new discussion has started in the political circles. Many people are calling it a natural change under the new law, while some are seeing it as a major change in the structure of religious institutions. Meanwhile, questions are also being raised on social media that if non-Muslim members can be included in the Waqf Board, will a similar debate be seen in the future on the structure of trusts or boards of other religious institutions? However, no official decision or proposal has come forward in this regard yet.

What will happen next?

After Madhya Pradesh, now other states of the country will also have to reorganize their respective Waqf boards as per the provisions of the Waqf Amendment Act-2025. In such a situation, in the coming time, appointment of non-Muslim members may be seen in other states also. At present, Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to implement this change, after which the entire country is keeping an eye on this decision.