Govt to wage war against Waqf mafia

Concerned over the nexus of mafia and officials of the state Waqf boards in encroachment of vast swathes of prime Waqf properties across the country, the Minority Affairs Ministry has decided to set up tribunals, both at the Center and in the states, to deal with the alleged misappropriation of the Waqf lands.

The ministry has already received names of the retired Supreme Court judges for appointing one to head the tribunal at the Centre while the tribunals to be set up at the state level would have three members headed by a retired judge of a High Court. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hopes the tribunals will start functioning within a month.

He said his ministry has already initiated a campaign on war footing to free the Waqf properties from the clutches of the mafia across the country so that these can be used for the welfare of the Muslims. He said serious complaints had been received about the mafia grabbing the Waqf properties in some states, the worst being a full-blown scam in Karnataka. There are 31 state Waqf boards and more than 4.27 lakh registered Waqf properties across the country while there are many non-registered Waqf properties and many in the clutches of the mafia. Naqvi said he has already ordered registration of all Waqf properties online by December end.

There are 31 state Waqf boards and more than 4.27 lakh registered Waqf properties across the country while there are many non-registered Waqf properties and many in the clutches of the mafia.

"In cooperation with the state governments, we will construct schools, colleges, hospitals, skill development centres and even malls that can yield huge revenue and the money generated from them will be utilised for educational and other developmental activities of the Muslims," Naqvi said.