Amidst the ongoing survey of unrecognized madarsas in the state of Uttar Pradesh, CM Yogi Adityanath has issued an order directing the district administrations to survey the Waqf properties as well. The government has asked the district administrations to conduct the survey and submit the relevant report within a month.
According to the reports, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered the officers to scrutinize and demarcate the Waqf properties in the revenue records. The government has also canceled the 1989 mandate of the Revenue Department in this regard. This came after several properties have illegally been occupied by the Waqf Boards.
Shakeel Ahmed Siddiqui, deputy secretary, UP government, issued letters to Commissioners and District Magistrates asking them to investigate such properties. The letter stated that several Waqf authorities had neglected the regulations regarding property registration as per the Waqf Act 1995 and the UP Muslim Waqf Act of 1960. In 1989, an order was also issued to properly register such properties in revenue records.
As per the 1989 order, these properties are mostly registered under Banjar, Usar, and Bhita categories. In the revenue records, these lands must be correctly registered and demarcated. According to government instructions, Gramsabha and municipal councils have public properties and are required by law to use these assets for the benefit of the general populace. Changes to the management and nature of these areas are prohibited under the 1989 order.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all the authorities in UP’s districts to complete the survey and submit the report within a month. Reportedly, the government intends to stop the illegal possession and sale of the Waqf property. According to the order issued by the government on September 19, Shia and Sunni Waqf Boards will be investigated in all the districts of the state in UP.
To note, recently the dispute regarding the Waqf Act being above Indian laws has invited a lot of controversies. Reports mention that Waqf boards have the largest land holding in the country after the Indian armed forces and the Indian Railways.
