New Delhi, 19 September 2022: Following the arrest of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in alleged Delhi Waqf Board Corruption case, the issue around power, constitutional validity and purpose of waqf board has become a topic of heated discussion on social media.
What has added more fuel to this fire is the news that several Tamil Nadu Villages were in shock when they learned that their ancestral land was not theirs but owned by the Waqf Board.
The issue came to light when an individual in a Tamil Nadu village was stopped from selling his land. It was told to them that the Waqf Board owns the entire village, so if anyone wishes to sell any land, they must obtain a NOC from the board in Chennai. In 17 more villages, the situation was said to be the same.
It is also claimed that these are Hindu-majority villages, and the land also fosters a 1500-year-old Sundareswarar temple that the Waqf board is claiming to be built upon its land.
Now both the matters have become a topic of discussion on social media and many individuals have intensified their demand to remove the Waqf act. “The Waqf Boards can declare any property as Waqf property. This is contradictory to the provisions of the Constitution in the context of the principle of equality and leads to religious discrimination against Hindus,” stated HJS Karnataka, a social media user.
People also alleged that by acquiring properties in such a way, the Waqf board has now become one of the largest landholders in India, “Today, the Waqf Board is the third largest holder of land in the country. In 2009, the Waqf Board had 4 lakh acres of land, today it has doubled to more than 8 lakh acres. Central govt. must abolish waqf board !..to save Bharat,” urged Milind Risbud, another user.
They also addressed the incident in Tamil Nadu, “Meanwhile, to refute the Waqf Board’s assertions, the locals displayed documents proving that the land had been in their family for centuries. The villagers were taken aback by the Islamic board’s claim to ownership of a centuries-old temple,” Rajendra Gurav said.
“However, the Waqf Act also mandates that the Government undertake a survey of all Waqf properties every 10 years. Who pays for the survey? The Taxpayer! Why should the taxpayer (which is the majority community) pay for this?,” said Laxman, another social media user.
“A special Act for religious properties of only one religion when no such law exists for any other religion smacks of clear discrimination. As a proudly secular country, how do we reconcile with this,” stated Prabhakar Acharya, a social media user.
“Does any private body of Hindus in IND have that much power to order the DM and he has to follow it? No, it is against the constitution and against equality. They have none, so why did they give such wrong authority to the Waqf Board? Repeal the unconstitutional act,” urged Gopi Waghmare.
