SP legislator from Bhiwandi urges Maharashtra Waqf board to conduct public hearings

As per the Supreme Court`s verdict in 2022, the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf must conduct hearings related to Waqf properties within six months, said Bhiwandi legislator Rais Shaikh. File pic

A Samajwadi Party (SP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) has urged the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf (MSBW) to conduct public hearings of Waqf institutions instead of holding them inside the chairman's chamber.

SP legislator from Bhiwandi (East) Rais Shaikh on Sunday said he has written to MSBW regarding hearings in 184 Waqf institutions.

In the letter, Shaikh said there were 27,000 Waqf properties in the state, of which 11,000 had been legalised.

As per the Supreme Court's verdict in 2022, MSWB must conduct hearings related to Waqf properties within six months, he said.

He further claimed that hearings of 184 Waqf institutions were being held inside the chamber of MSBW chairman Sameer Kazi.

"The Waqf properties belong to the Muslim community, and they have a right to know about them. Therefore, public hearings should be conducted rather than in the chairman's chamber," the legislator demanded in the letter.

The Union government passed the Waqf Act in 1995, empowering the state Waqf Boards to declare Waqf properties. The Waqf board established in Maharashtra in 2002 has declared 11,000 Waqf properties till 2004.

While upholding the MSBW's decision about these properties, the Apex court has also asked it to hear the respondents to determine if their properties are Waqf properties. Hence, hearings for 184 Waqf institutions are being conducted.

The development comes after a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee, which includes 21 Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MP) and 10 Rajya Sabha MPs has been constituted to look into the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday proposed the names of 21 Lok Sabha MPs and 10 Rajya Sabha MPs in the Parliament for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Notably, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress MP Imran Masood have also been included in the committee.

In Lok Sabha, Kiren Rijiju proposed the names of 21 Lok Sabha MPs for JPC into Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024; also asked Rajya Sabha to recommend the names of 10 Members to be appointed to the JPC.

The 21 MPs from Lok Sabha who will be members of the JPC are Jagdambika Pal, Nishikant Dubey, Tejasvi Surya, Aparajita Sarangi, Sanjay Jaiswal, Dilip Saikia, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, DK Aruna, Gaurav Gogoi, Imran Masood, Mohammad Jawed, Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, Kalyan Banerjee, A Raja, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Dileshwar Kamait, Arvind Sawant, Suresh Gopinath, Naresh Ganpat Mhaske, Arun Bharti and Owaisi.

(With PTI inputs)