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Central panel open to Shia Wakf Board
The Central Wakf Council has asked the State government to examine the feasibility of constituting a separate Wakf Board for Shia Muslims. The council, after verifying the documents, has come to the conclusion that 41 percent of Wakf institutions belong to Shias.
Hyderabad: The Central Wakf Council has asked the State government to examine the feasibility of constituting a separate Wakf Board for Shia Muslims. The council, after verifying the documents, has come to the conclusion that 41 percent of Wakf institutions belong to Shias. In a letter addressed to Secretary, Minority Welfare Department, Syed Omer Jaleel, the Central Wakf Council has asked to consider the feasibility of setting up a separate board.
While referring to 11,800 Ashur Khanas, Imam Badas, Karbala, Panja and other religious places, it pointed out that 41 per cent of the total 33,929 Wakf institutions were Shia in nature. It stated that Supreme Court made an order in the case of AP State Wakf Board Hyderabad Vs All India Shia Conference on March 2, 2000, where the apex court held “If there is more than 15 per cent Wakf property of the total Waqf institution of the State, a separate Shia Waqf Board could be constituted.”
Secretary of Central Wakf Council, B M Jamal, who was responding to the representation of Shia Companions, a voluntary organisation, noted that as per the provisions of Section 13 and Sub Section 2 of the Wakf Act, the State government may establish a ‘Board of Auquaf for Shia Auquaf’ of the State or the income of the properties of the Shia Auquaf in the State constitutes more than 15 percent. “Take appropriate action as per law,” he instructed the Secretary.
The representatives of Shia community, who already represented the issue with Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, also met the State’s BJP leaders to pursue the matter. The Joint Action Committee, which was recently formed to push their demand for a separate Wakf Board also met the local BJP representatives on Sunday.
The BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao felt that it was high time that the government came up with a separate Wakf Board and addressed the long-pending grievances of the Shia community in Telangana. Speaking on the occasion, he the MLC assured that he would pursue the matter with Union Government and Chief Minister on the issue. “As per their proportion of population and religious institutions, I believe that the State government should come up with separate Wakf Board for them,” he said.
It may be recalled that the High Court on January 19, set a deadline of 6-weeks seeking State government’s stand on separate Wakf Board for Shias. It has directed the government and secretary to Minorities Welfare Department to take a decision for constitution within the set deadline, which ends on March 6.
By Md Nizamuddin
