Khata for Idgah Maidan property not issued: BBMP

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday clarified that it has not issued a Khata certificate to the Karnataka Waqf Board with respect to the disputed 2.10 acre property’(Idgah Maidan) in Chamrajpet. The civic body, however, pointed out that the Waqf Board did seek ownership of the property and has applied for the Khata.

“We have received application to issue Khata certificate from the Waqf Board last Monday. The certificate will only be issued after seeking objections from the public. As of now, the BBMP continues to be the custodian of the property,” Srinivas, joint commissioner of West division said.

The BBMP, he said, will decide the next move over the next one-and-a-half months which is a maximum limit to respond under the Sakala Act. “The Waqf Board has submitted the Supreme Court judgement of 1964 and the waqf gazette notification issued in 1965. The City Survey records of 1976, however, states that the 2.10 acre property is a BBMP playground, which has added to the confusion,” the BBMP official said.

A BJP functionary, in its letter to the BBMP, has objected to the civic body’s recent U-turn where it has given up on its ownership claim. The letter lists out at least six programmes that were held between 1967 and 1976 to state that the playground was used to hold public events. N R Ramesh, president of BJP’s Bengaluru South unit, also recalls a 1980-81 writ petition of the Muslim leaders where the court had allowed holding namaaz only twice a year.