Holding state Wakf boards accountable for the delay in digitisation of Wakf records, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent charge), has warned members of the Central Wakf Council that if the state Wakf boards don’t stop encroachment of Wakf properties and don’t fall in line with the digitisation process of Wakf lands, they would find themselves in “trouble”, hinting at strict action. The warning came during a closed-door meeting of the Council held earlier this week, sources said.
Members of the Central Wakf Council do not hold positions in state Wakf boards, but act as mediators between the Central and state Wakf authorities. The Central Wakf Council’s 75th meeting was attended by representatives of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Kolkata, Karnataka, Goa, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing the media on the issue of Wakf land, Naqvi took cognizance of the complaints received against state Wakf boards for malpractices in the digitisation process and encroachment of Wakf properties and said: “A one-man ‘Board of Adjudication’ at the Central level has been established under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court justice Y.S. Iqbal, to deal with complaints and disputes regarding Wakf properties. Three-member tribunals are being established in the states. About 24 states have established these tribunals so far. Other states should also do this soon.”
As per the Ministry of Minority Affairs, there are 449,314 registered and non-registered Wakf properties across the country. Naqvi said: “The number of these properties will increase after computerisation of Wakf boards. It has also been coming to our notice that some Wakf boards are not registering the Wakf properties properly during the computerisation process. Strict action is being taken in such complaints.” Sources confirmed that the Ministry of Minority Affairs has distributed Rs 20-25 crore among all state Wakf boards for the digitisation process. Naqvi said, “We have managed to finish 60-70% of the work and we are aiming to finish the digitisation of all Wakf properties by the end of this year. Some states have been non-cooperative, which has caused the delay.”