Wakf property: Probe sought into minister's actions

The Karnataka State Board of Wakf (KSBW) has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to conduct a judicial inquiry against Minister Qamarul Islam and one of the board members, Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini, for reportedly ensuring re-grant of a Wakf property belonging to Khwaja Bande Nawaz dargah in Gulbarga.

R Abdul Reyaz Khan, Chairman, KSBW, has alleged in a press release, that the minister, who appeared before the land tribunal  as a GPA holder gave evidence stating that the land (Survey number 12) measuring 8 acres 34 guntas is not a wakf property. Another property (Survey number 53) measuring 11 acres 15 guntas was purchased in the name of his sister-in-law Sahana Nasees.

“The aforesaid land comes under the park zone, but the minister got it converted for non-agriculture purposes and a private layout has been formed and sold as plots,” the Board has alleged. The Board also mentions another incident where a Mutawali of Hazrath Khwaja Bande Nawaz fraudulently filed Form no 7 and ensured that about 75 acres of land in Badapur and Kapnoor villages, all Wakf property, is alienated. 

Stating that Wakf property worth several hundred crores of rupees has been misused, the Board has appealed to the chief minister to order an inquiry and restore properties to the Wakf.