Uttar Pradesh Registers 58 Acres Of Waqf Land As Govt Property Amid SC Hearing On Petitions Against Waqf Act
Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh: Amid the legal battle over the politically charged controversial Waqf Amendment Act, authorities in Uttar Pradesh have reportedly registered at least 58 acres of Waqf land as government property, India Today reports. The land that state registered as government property is situated in Kaushambi district.
A total of 98.95 hectares in the district are registered under the Waqf Board, according to Kaushambi District Magistrate Madhusudan Hulgi. Out of the total 98.95 hectares of Waqf land in the district, around 58 acres of land have been registered as government land, and most of which reportedly includes madrasas and graveyards.
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According to the report, an investigation found that the land which is now registered as the government’s was allegedly recorded in the name of the Gram Samaj (village community). The disclosure in the probe led to action by the district administration.
The remaining Waqf land in the district is likely to face legal scrutiny in the days to come. The authorities have deployed investigation teams across all three tahsils of the district to examine the lands in the region. According to the officials, more Waqf lands will be registered as government property after verification.
Notably, while hearing myriads of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that it will be an issue if the waqf-by-user properties are denotified. The Court said that any property declared waqf or any property declared waqf by the user or declared by the court shall not be de-notified. The court had also questioned several provisions of the controversial act.
The Waqf Amendment Act introduced many new provisions, arguably empowering the District Magistrates with greater authority over the Waqf land. Muslim bodies and opposition parties have flagged concerns that the government is trying to intervene and grab religious properties of the minority community, while arguing that the Act is against the constitution.
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However, while hearing the case on Wednesday, the top court proposed a stay of some controversial provisions in the Waqf Act, including those that empower district collectors to de-notify properties previously declared as Waqf by courts and the inclusion of non-Muslims in central Waqf councils and boards.
The bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna will resume the hearing on the matter on Thursday.
