Farmers in Maharashtra on Saturday alleged that the state Waqf Board was trying to grab their land. In fact, there is a case going on in the Maharashtra State Wakf Tribunal for a claim over about 300 acres of land. In this regard, the board has sent notices to 103 farmers of Latur. Two hearings have been held in this case. The next hearing will be held on December 20.
The farmers have claimed that this is not waqf property, it is their ancestral land. They have cultivated it for generations. The farmers have appealed to the Maharashtra government to give justice.
According to media reports, State Waqf Board Chairman Sameer Qazi has denied this. He told the media that no notice has been sent by the board to anyone. No claim has been made to any land. A person has appealed to the tribunal, only a notice has been sent to him.
The farmers have appealed to the Maharashtra government to save their ancestral land.
Modi government wants to change the Wakf Board Act The Modi government wants to make about 40 changes in the Waqf Board Act. The Waqf Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8 in the monsoon session this year. Many opposition parties, including the Congress, called him anti-Muslim. After opposition objections and protests, the bill was sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) without any discussion in the Lok Sabha.
It is chaired by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. The JPC has 31 members, including 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The JPC is to prepare a report after discussions with all stakeholders, which was asked to be presented in the winter session.
JPC has held 8 meetings. In the 8th meeting on November 28, it was decided to extend the tenure of the JPC. After this, it has been said that the JPC report will be presented by the last day of the budget session of 2025.
Now know what is Waqf Board and its work… A Waqf Board is a legal body under Islamic law that oversees movable and immovable properties donated for religious purposes. Parliament enacted the Waqf Act in 1954. They have the legal right to take any land or property and transfer it in the name of another.
The Board can also issue a legal notice against the person. The Waqf Board has more powers than any trust. However, the Wakf Board has to maintain a complete account of its work and total income and expenditure.
The ownership rights of the lands and properties of the Muslims who migrated to Pakistan at the time of the partition of the country have also been given to the Waqf Board. In 1955, a year after the law came into force, the law was changed and it was said that a Waqf Board would be constituted in every state.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
