HC seeks details on removal of Shia Waqf Board members

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad high court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to furnish by Friday the details related to removal of nominated members of the state Shia Waqf Board.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court issued the direction on a writ petition moved by Aalima Zaidi and other members removed from the board on June 16.

The vacation bench comprising justice Rajan Roy and justice SN Agnihotri directed the state government to produce before it the original report pertaining to the removal of the members and fixed the hearing for Friday.

The state government had passed an order on June 16, removing the nominated members of the board on the ground that they had indulged in irregularities in connection with the Waqf properties.

The members include Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, Sayed Wali Haider, Ashfa Zaidi, Maulana Azim Husain Zaidi, Aalima Zaidi and Nazmul Hasan Rizvi.

They were nominated by the erstwhile Akhilesh Yadav government.

Arguing on behalf of the petitioners, advocate Gaurav Mehrotra submitted that the process for removal of chairman and nominated members is provided in the Waqf Act, 1995, and while removing them, the state government did not comply with its provisions.

Besides, the state government passed the removal order in a “whimsical manner” on the basis of an order issued by the chief secretary on March 20, Mehrotra contended.

It was also argued that the appointment of the nominated members was a term appointment and as such the members could not be removed before expiry of the term.

Opposing the plea on behalf of the state government, the additional advocate general Ramesh Kumar Singh sought time to verify the facts.