Former Darul Uloom VC was accused of holding illegal possession of Waqf land in Ahmednagar
The state government has cancelled former Darul Uloom Deoband vice-chancellor Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi from the membership of the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf (MSBW) for alleged irregularities.
Vastanvi, who runs the Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom at Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar, has been removed from the board's membership for "illegal possession" of waqf land at Bhingar in Ahmednagar and "acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of auqaf." The October 16 order by Shyam Tagade, principal secretary, minority development, makes Vastanvi ineligible for further appointments on the board for being an "encroacher" on waqf land.
The department's notice to Vastanvi had charged him with illegally possessing waqf land for his institution and sought explanation on why he should not be removed from the board.
It said Vastanvi entered into an agreement with trustees of the Badshahi Mullah Masjid Trust for 32 acres and 23 gunthas of waqf land on December 18, 2003. Since the agreement was for a period of 99 years and not approved previously by the waqf board, it violated the Waqf Act, 1995, the department charged. As per the prevailing laws, a lease exceeding three years on waqf property was void and lease between one and three years too was void sans the board's prior sanction.
The department said the agreement was not renewed after the lease period concluded on July 26, 2009, which made the possession illegal and Vastanvi liable for action.
While speaking to DNA, Vastanvi, who was elected to the board in 2014 and whose term was due to expire in 2019, denied these charges. "There are too many falsehoods here. This is the fallout of a political battle between the Congress and the BJP," he said, adding that he had possession of just 6 acres and 22 gunthas of land with the documents from the district collectorate and the Masjid trust to back his contention. Vastanvi said the government was also trying to deny that his trust had lawful possession of the around 6-acre land.
Complainant Shabbir Ansari, President, Tehreeq-e-Awqaf, demanded action against all board members and officials involved in irregularities. "They have hurt the community's interests," he charged, alleging political pressure was being brought to spare some accused. Ansari also demanded implementation of the ATAK Shaikh commission report about irregularities in waqf lands.
Maharashtra has over 93,000 acres of waqf land, a large number of which are encroached.
What The Department Alleges
- The department’s notice to Vastanvi charged him with illegally possessing waqf land for his institution.
- It said Vastanvi entered into an agreement with Badshahi Mullah Masjid Trust on Dec 18, 2003.
- Agreement was for 99 years and not approved previously, so violated the Waqf Act, 1995
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