Waqf: Board or Land Grabbers?
In the midst of the tremendous ruckus and ongoing politics over the Waqf law, the news of the Waqf Board's claim in Katukolai village of Villore district of Tamil Nadu draws attention to the controversies related to Waqf. The Waqf Board's claim has left the people of the village in shock. The residents of the village have received a notice from the administration of the local Masjid Dargah, claiming that their land has been declared a Waqf property. The notice asks the villagers to pay rent or vacate the house. One hundred and fifty families living for three-four generations have become upset and have pleaded for justice from the administration. Earlier, the story of Tiruchendurai, a village in Tamil Nadu, came to light. The Waqf Board had also claimed this entire village. The village also has a centuries-old Chandrasekhar Swamy temple.
This temple is said to be 1500 years old, but the Waqf Board has also claimed the land of this temple. In 2022, a farmer named Rajagopal tried to sell his agricultural land. Rajagopal had to repay the loan but he could not sell his land. Rajagopal was told by the registrar's office that the Waqf had claimed its right over all the land in the village. In such a situation, no land can be bought or sold without the NOC of the Waqf Board. Even a notice was pasted in the registrar's office in this regard. When there was a ruckus about this issue, the DMK government intervened and said that there is no need for NOC from the Waqf Board for the registry of the land. After this, many lands of the village were also sold in the last 3 years, but the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board still maintains the claim that the village land belongs to the Waqf. However, no document related to this has been made public so far.
Stories of illegal occupation of the Waqf Board are not new. The report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee before the Wakf Amendment Act was passed, it is mentioned that the Waqf has staked its claim on 80 monuments protected by the ASI in the country. From Delhi's Lal Bungalow to Talkatora, there is a dispute over historical places in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and other states. The report of the parliamentary committee has given full details of where the illegal occupation of the Waqf Board is. Under the guise of the Wakf Board, the land mafia has played its best. In many states, illegal encroachments on government land in the name of Waqf have also been removed. When preparations were being made for the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh, the Waqf has been claiming its claim even at a mythological place like Prayagraj.
No Government can allow land mafia to flourish in their country. The Waqf Board has over eight lakh acres of land in the country. In 2009, the land was 400,000 acres. These include most mosques, madrasas, and cemeteries. The estimated value of assets of the Waqf Board is Rs 1.2 lakh crore. There are 32 Waqf boards in the country, including two Shia Waqf boards in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Waqf Board has the largest assets in the country after the Railways and the Defence Department. There is a debate on Section 40 of the Waqf Act. Under this, the board gets the power of Region to Believe.
If the Board believes that a property belongs to the Waqf, then it can conduct its own investigation and file a claim to be Waqf. If someone is living in that property, then he can file his objection with the Waqf Tribunal. After the decision of the tribunal, it can be challenged in the High Court. But this process becomes quite complicated. Actually, if a property is declared once a waqf, it always belongs to the waqf. Due to this, many controversies have also surfaced. Now the government has brought an amendment bill to avoid such controversies.