The probe into Rs 2,500 crore Wakf land scam touted as state's biggest Wakf fraud, which rocked the state early this year, is stalled midway after Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) ordered an interim stay on the matter. The highly publicised probe has gone into the cold storage.
"The stay has stopped the probe into this case. We have filed a detailed affidavit in MAT recently and expect a favourable verdict," admitted Shyam Tagade, Secretary of Minorities Development Department.
The government had suspended the then acting Chief Executive Officer of the Wakf Board Naseema Banu Patel after a preliminary inquiry indicated her "mala fide intention" in ruling a 55-acre Wakf property in Nashik as a non-Wakf one in February 2016. A township is coming up on it after the builder took possession of it by paying compensation to encroachers who became the legal heir of the land after the CEO declared the land non-Wakf.
Patel had challenged her suspension in the MAT on the ground that even the Wakf Tribunal (above in hierarchy than the CEO) had passed similar order in the disputed property as Patel. The government officials claim the two properties are different.
Interestingly, the MAT has not revoked Patel's suspension but ordered interim stay in the probe. The embarrassed Minorities Development Department has now initiated probe into more such cases during Patel's tenure.
As per law, a Wakf is an endowment made by a Muslim to a religious, educational, or charitable cause. It can neither be transferred nor sold. The land in question belonged to the Masjid Doodhwari Katra in Nashik and was reportedly donated for a mosque by Shah Jahan in the 15th century.
The Revenue Department claims to have all documents – starting from the Shah Jahan's order till the last Wakf survey in 1997-2000 to prove that the disputed land belongs to Wakf board.
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