Beleaguered Telangana Waqf Board awaits a saviour

Saga of mismanagement continues in the Waqf Board even after its bifurcation after the formation of Telangana State

The saga of mismanagement of waqf properties has spilled over from the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana. With over 33,929 properties across the State, the Telangana State Waqf Board (TSWB) faces a host of crises, including hundreds of court cases, staffing issues, encroachments and utilisation of land parcels.

Consider this: per the first waqf survey, the 33,929 waqf properties in the State translate into 77,583 acres, of which 57,423 acres have been encroached upon. This means that nearly 75% of waqf lands are encroached.

Ahead of the 2014 elections, the then Telangana Rashtra Samithi, had promised more teeth to the TSWB in the form of giving it judicial powers. This was a long-standing demand of Muslim groups. The rationale behind the demand was to empower the board to deal with encroachments better, and to a certain extent, directly. But this has not materialised.

According to sources at the TSWB, the Muslim endowments panel is fighting in various courts of law about 4,000 cases. Many of these cases are against the government, the sources added. Given that the Waqf Tribunal, according to Section 83 of the Waqf Act, has the power to adjudicate issues pertaining to waqf properties, the then TSWB Chief Executive Officer Shahnawaz Qasim, wrote to the High Court Registrar suggesting an online portal for access to listing of cases be introduced. The move, he stated, would make it convenient for officers of the board and others such as standing counsels, to file counters in a timely manner. The Tribunal is yet to have an e-court system.

Last year, it lost the significant Manikonda Jagir case, which was over 1,654 acres of prime land. The Supreme Court in February 2022 quashed an errata that the Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board had issued before the formation of Telangana, and ruled that the massive land parcel belonged to the State government.

In terms of utilisation of waqf land parcels, much was lacking. A glaring example of this is the seven storey Waqf Garden View Mall, a bare shell structure beside the Haj House which is home to the offices of the TSWB, The structure was conceived during the tenure of the last waqf board of the undivided State of A.P. It has been lying vacant for nearly 10 years. Another land parcel that remains unutilised is in the prime area of Khairtabad.

The TSWB was in for a shock when in November 2017 its record room was sealed by authorities of the Revenue Department. More than five years later, the board is yet to get full, unhindered access.