Central Waqf Council seeks CBI probe into irregularities

HYDERABAD: A team of the

Central Waqf Council

(CWC) has sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged irregularities of the

Telangana State Waqf Board

.

Finding fault with the functioning of the board and its “failure” to protect prime Waqf properties in Telangana, the CWC team urged the Central government to order an inquiry by the CBI into the “Waqf scam” in the state.

The CWC team comprised members TO Naushad, Munawari Begum, Rais Khan Pathan, and Irfan Ahmed. They visited the Waqf Board office last week for a first-hand assessment of the Waqf properties, most of which are under illegal occupation. The team submitted its inspection report to the CWC chairman and Union minister for minorities affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The team urged the minister to issue a show-cause notice to the Telangana State Waqf Board under Section 9(4) & 9(5) of the Wakf Act 1995. It also called for an explanation from the board.

According to the report submitted by the team, the total land under state Waqf Board is 77,677 acres belonging to 32,596 institutions across the state. “But 89 per cent of Waqf land is under encroachment or legal dispute. The state Waqf Board has failed to recover or safeguard the encroached land. The total number of cases pending before Hyderabad HC is more than 12,628 (both AP and Telangana Waqf boards). In more than 8,000 cases the board failed to file a counter or appeal against the orders passed by lower courts in favour of third parties,” the report said.

Describing the board chairman as “incompetent”, the report said four cases are pending before High Court against the appointment of board members. “The state government has failed to appoint a religious scholar as per Section 14 (d) of Waqf Act from Shia and Sunni communities. Instead it appointed party leaders in the said category,” the report added.

It said the board failed to furnish information to the CWC on the performance of Waqf Board, particularly on financial performance, survey, maintenance of Waqf deeds, revenue records, encroachment of Waqf properties, annual reports and audit reports for the financial years 2014-15, 2015-16, 2015-17 and 2017-18.