look news india
The central government is going to tighten the reins on the Waqf Board. According to sources, the Waqf Board Act Amendment Bill can be introduced in Parliament on Monday. In the last several years, many news related to the Waqf Board came to light. Now there are reports that the central government is considering reducing the powers of the Waqf Board. Every coin has two predecessors. On one hand, while there is talk of the arbitrariness of the Waqf Board, on the other hand, its patrons are warning each other against getting an investigation done. Some fanatic maulanas are so angry that they are in a mood to fight each other. Know what is Waqf property and what amendments the government is going to make in its bill, which has created an uproar.
According to a TOI report, 40 changes in the Waqf Act have been discussed in the Union Cabinet meeting. It has also been said that if the Waqf Board claims any property, then its verification will be done compulsorily. If there is any dispute between the Waqf Board and any person or institution regarding any property, then that will also be verified. The reason for the opposition to the Waqf Act across the country is its section, which people are calling anti-constitutional. The thing is that Section 85 of the Waqf Act says that its decision cannot be challenged even in the High Court or Supreme Court.
What is 'Waqf'….Waqf Property?
Talking about Waqf, it is an Arabic word. Any Muslim can donate his land, building or any valuable thing to Waqf. Which becomes the property of Waqf. The responsibility of further monitoring and maintenance of Waqf properties lies with the people of Waqf Board from local level to national level. The country's first PM Nehru made the Waqf law in 1954. In 1955, under a new law, permission was given to form Waqf Board in every state. Today there are 30 Waqf Boards from UP to Tamil Nadu.
Talking about the Wakf Board Act, it has been amended in 1995 and 2013. The Wakf Board is the third largest 'landlord' i.e. owner of land in the country after the Government of India and the Railways.
According to an estimate, the Muslim Waqf Board has more than 8 lakh properties in the country. Claims related to Waqf properties are disputed in almost every state of the country.
Why is the government doing research?
The thing is that now according to the powers given to the Waqf Board, it can inspect any property and if someone stakes a claim on that property then it becomes difficult to reverse it. Section 85 of the Waqf Act states that the decision of the Board cannot be challenged in the Supreme Court or High Court. The main purpose of this proposed amendment is to regulate the powers of the Waqf Board and the classification of properties through it. The government says that after the review, the Board will not be able to make a wrong claim on any land, so there will be no land dispute in future. Some Maulanas are opposing the fact that no one has the right to interfere in religious matters.
Asaduddin Owaisi and some other Maulanas as well as the Muslim Personal Law Board are angry on hearing about the amendment in the Waqf Board Act. They say that this research is an attempt to interfere in their internal matters.
These cases made headlines across the country
It is alleged that the Waqf Board wrongly claims the properties of others, due to which the original owner of the land becomes homeless. The reason for the research is that some laws made regarding the Waqf Board are now under question. In February 2023 last year, the Ministry of Minority Affairs told the Lok Sabha that the Waqf Board, an institution of Muslims, had a total of 8,65,646 immovable properties till December 2022.
There have been many disputes in the last few years regarding the claims of the Waqf Board's property. In many states, the Waqf Boards have now been wrongly accused of giving up their claims on government or other properties. Which is not correct. Many such cases are being heard in the court.
Where were the hands placed on the Waqf Board land?
In 2023, the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board gave its ownership rights over an entire village. The board has claimed to own 389 acres of land in 18 villages of the state. He also said that the villagers cannot sell their land without the approval of the Waqf Board. They will have to take NOC from the Waqf Board to sell their land. Apart from this, there is also a 1500-year-old Sundareshwar temple in Tiruchentharai village located on the banks of the Kaveri River. The villagers were surprised how the Waqf Board could claim their entire village. When a similar dispute came to the fore in 2022 over the property of a mosque in Telangana.
The case is ongoing in court in India
Therefore, the dispute over Waqf property reached London even before independence. There, a bench of four judges declared Waqf itself illegal. However, that decision was not accepted by the British Indian Government. The Waqf Board was saved by bringing the Muslim Waqf Validating Act 1913. In UP too, when the Waqf Board claimed properties on a large scale, there was an uproar. The Yogi government immediately issued an order to investigate all the properties of the Waqf Board and went ahead and reached the Allahabad High Court.
Last year, the Waqf property dispute escalated to such an extent that BJP MLA Harnath Singh Yadav brought a personal bill and recommended the abolition of the Waqf Board Act 1995. He said that it is against democracy, so it should be abolished in the interest of the country.
