Govt rejects recommendations of Anwar Manippady report on Wakf Board

Bengaluru: Mar 7: The Karnataka government has rejected several recommendations made by the State Minorities Commission, including that of ordering a Lokayukta probe into irregularities in the State Wakf Board.

Anwar Manippady, while he was chairman of the commission, had submitted a special report with recommendations to the BJP?government in March 2012.

Minorities Welfare and Wakf Minister Qamarul Islam tabled the action-taken report of the government on the recommendations of the commission in the Legislative Assembly on Saturday.

The government has rejected a majority of the 16 recommendations either stating that it was beyond the purview of the state legislation or that the matter was pending before courts.

The commission had pointed out to large scale “ill happenings” and “fraudulent acts”?in the Wakf Board and had recommended handing over the issue to the Lokayukta for investigation. Further, the commission had recommended that the Board be kept under suspension till the completion of the investigation. The government has rejected the recommendations stating that there is no provision in the wakf legislation to keep the Board under suspension. Further, the Wakf Act is a central legislation, the government has stated.

A recommendation for an audit of all wakf land has also been rejected on the grounds that the wakf legislation has no provision to take up such audits. However, the government has stated that the department of survey and settlement has taken up a survey of wakf land and 60% of the work had been complete.

The commission had recommended that a task force be constituted to reclaim encroached wakf land. The government, has however, again rejected the recommendation stating that power to reclaim encroached land had already been vested with the BBMP and BDA.

To another recommendation that criminal proceedings be initiated against the former Wakf Board Chairman Abdul Riyaz Khan accused of misusing wakf land, the government has stated that the matter was pending before the High Court.

In a press release on Saturday, BJP leader Abbas Ali Bohra has accused minister Qamarul Islam of encroaching wakf land in Kalaburagi. He has sought constitution of a House committee to probe into encroachment of wakf properties across the State.