Land grabbed on pretext of Waqf: ‘Exercise to rectify records on, more properties to be reclaimed’

LUCKNOW The meeting of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill held on Tuesday turned into a plank for the UP government to send a message to the heads of various Muslim religious, social and political organisations that the state government has started the exercise to reclaim the land grabbed on the pretext of Waqf.

Of the 11,857 hectare land claimed as Waqf property, the UP revenue department has marked 10,000 hectare as public property. The exercise to correct land records is continuing in all 75 districts, and more land claimed as Waqf, will be reclaimed as public property, said a state government officer.

The JPC had a discussion with the representatives of the UP Minority Welfare and Waqf department, revenue department, law and justice department as well as UP Shia and Sunni Waqf boards before the meeting of the stakeholders.

Revenue department officers said the plots on which cremation ground, mosque, madarsa and other structures are located are being claimed as Waqf properties, but according to land records of the state government, these are public properties vested with the gram samaj.

In the government land record category 6 (3), land is marked as cremation ground, while category 6 (2) land is population and category 5 land is marked as barren. The mosque located in category 6 (2) land or madarsa on category 5 land cannot be claimed as Waqf property. Even temples or any structure located on gram samaj land cannot be claimed as property by any organisation or a person and will remain public property, the officer said.

A person in possession of public property cannot dedicate that property as Waqf for religious/charitable purpose. A person can only dedicate his private property that can be sold as Waqf. Earlier, zamindars had dedicated several properties as Waqf for religious use, but after the promulgation of Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950, all properties have been vested with the government, he added.

Speaking at a media conclave recently, the CM had elaborated on recent revenue amendments carried out by the state government, requiring a thorough review of land records for any property claimed by the Waqf Board. If the term ‘waqf’ appears, the revenue department will examine the original ownership and take steps to reclaim the land.

“We will reclaim every inch of land that has been taken on the pretext of Waqf, and it will be used to build housing, educational institutions, and hospitals for the poor,” he said.

Reacting to the CM’s statement, AIMIM chief and member of the JPC, Asaduddin Owaisi said the state government order should be challenged. “Waqf properties under the Sunni and Shia Waqf boards are gazetted. The gazette is an official document, the survey of the property is conducted by the ADM and the state government issues the notification,” he said.

“The BJP government is trying to annul waqf properties,” he alleged.