Fact Check | Did Andhra Pradesh government abolish Waqf Board?

 Andhra Pradesh government abolishes the Waqf Board.Fact: The claim is misleading. The board was dissolved due to legal, administrative, and representational concerns, with plans to establish a new one soon.

Hyderabad: The term of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was extended till the final day of the budget session of Parliament in 2025. The budget session is usually held in February or March every year. On November 28, 2024, the Lok Sabha approved this extension through a resolution moved by Committee Chairman and BJP leader Jagdambika Pal. The parliamentary panel’s discussions have seen heated debates between the ruling and opposition parties over the proposed amendments to the Waqf Bill.

Amid this, a viral claim surfaced stating that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has abolished the Waqf Board. Several social media users, including BJP's Amit Malviya, shared posts hailing the supposed move.

On December 1, BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted a ‘Times Now’ breaking news headlined, `Andhra abolishes Waqf Board’. "Andhra Pradesh government strikes down the Waqf Board. There is no constitutional provision supporting its existence in a secular India," he captioned the video report. (Archive)

Similar claims can be seen here and here. (Archive 1, Archive 2)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The board was dissolved, not permanently abolished.

A closer review revealed that the Times Now video shared by Amit Malviya in his X post referred to the Andhra Pradesh government having “dissolved” the Waqf Board, not "abolished" it.

A keyword search led to a report by The News Minute titled "Andhra govt dissolves Waqf Board set up by YSRCP, to form a new one." It was published on December 1, 2024.

The report clarified that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government, in coalition with the BJP and Jana Sena Party, dissolved the board established by the previous YSR Congress Party government. The report states that the previous YSR Congress Party government had established an 11-member Waqf Board in compliance with a High Court order. However, citing the board's prolonged non-functionality due to various issues, the government stated that it decided to dissolve the Waqf Board to uphold good governance, protect Waqf properties, and ensure its smooth functioning.

The Times of India also confirmed in its December 1, 2024, report, titled "Andhra Pradesh Govt Issues Order to Dissolve Waqf Board".

A government order (G.O.) was issued on November 30 to dissolve the board. The news report included abstract copies of the Government Order (GO).

According to the report, the High Court, considering the writ petitions challenging the GO and raising specific objections against one of the elected members, stayed the election of the Waqf Board's chairperson. The court further clarified that the election of the member would depend on the outcome of the writ petitions. Meanwhile, with the petitions unresolved, the Waqf Board continued to function without a chairperson.

Another report by AP 7 am titled `AP Government Dissolves Waqf Board; New GO Issued’, published on December 1, 2024, includes the response of Minister for Minority Welfare N. Md. Farooq, regarding the issue.

The report mentions that Minister Farooq explained that various legal issues had led to an administrative vacuum within the Waqf Board. To address this, the coalition government annulled the contentious G.O. issued by the previous administration and introduced the new G.O. 75. He further emphasized that the coalition government under the leadership of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is committed to managing and protecting Waqf properties as well as ensuring the welfare of minorities. The government's actions, he added, are in line with these objectives.

Additionally, the Andhra Pradesh government’s Fact Check Wing issued a clarification on December 1, 2024, via an X post.

The post emphasized that the Waqf Board had been non-functional since March 2023, necessitating its dissolution to address administrative stagnation and legal challenges. The government assured the formation of a new board soon in the post.

Hence the claim that the Andhra Pradesh government abolished the Waqf Board is misleading. The board was dissolved due to legal, administrative, and representational concerns, with plans to establish a new one soon.

Claim Review: Andhra Pradesh government abolishes the Waqf Board.

Claimed By: Social Media Users

Claim Reviewed By: NewsMeter

Claim Source: X Users

Claim Fact Check: Misleading

Fact: The claim is misleading. The board was dissolved due to legal, administrative, and representational concerns, with plans to establish a new one soon.

This story was originally published by NewsMeter, and republished by Deccan Herald as part of the Shakti Collective.