Poll race picks up pace

Candidates accused of corrupt practices are entering the election fray

- Mutawallis begin submitting account details of their transactions
- Mutawallis accused of submitting improper accounts

Hyderabad: With the High Court directing Telangana Wakf Board to constitute the management committee within three months from September 12, the race for taking part in the elections has picked up pace. Mutawallis (caretakers) of Wakf properties aspiring to become members of the Board have started submitting details of their transactions.

According to officials, as per Section 44 of the Waqf Act 1995, every Mutawalli of the Waqf shall prepare and submit the account details in the prescribed format, while showing estimates and expenditure during the financial year. Budget shall be submitted to the Board by the Mutawalli at least 30 days before the beginning of the financial year.

While Section 46 says that every Mutawalli shall keep regular accounts and furnish the full and true statements of accounts, showing money received or spent by him, Section 47 clearly mentions that the annual income exceeding Rs 50,000 shall be audited annually or at intervals prescribed by an auditor "appointed by the Board from out of the panel of auditors prepared by the State Government", under remuneration. “But the Board neither appointed the auditors from out of the panel of auditors nor from the State Government auditing department,” said an official.

Concerns have been raised that those who indulge in corrupt practices may become ‘Board Members’ by submitting false affidavits for the committee election.

It is being alleged that some of the Mutawallis are submitting questionable accounts of their institutions to the Board with the sole intention of becoming the member of Electoral College.

Failure of the Wakf Board to implement the Wakf Act in dealing with the accounts of Mutawallis gives them a freehand in providing details of financial accounts. While the Mutawallis claim to have obtained clearance from their own Chartered Accountants, the Board continues to fail in cross-verification of their claims.

Realising the seriousness of the issue, concerned citizens began knocking on the doors of the government. M K Hasan, president, Masjid-e-Sultan Bagh, Kavadiguda, took up the matter with the State government. He recently wrote a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the Wakf Board.

He said that, given the Supreme Court’s direction for constitution of committee, the Mutawallis aspiring to become members of the Wakf Board were showing improper accounts.

They were showing revenues totalling more than Rs 1 lakh to become eligible for the Electoral College to contest and participate in the elections of the Board when the actual revenues remained less than Rs 1 lakh.

“In the past, the Wakf Board formed a panel of Chartered Accountants to audit the accounts of the Auqaf. However, on a representation from some of the Mutawallis, the Wakf Board withdrew the practice and allowed the Mutawallis to submit their accounts duly audited by the Chartered Accounts, as per their choice, which opened the window of corruption,” he said.

Md Nizamuddin