These trusts own properties worth thousands of crores of rupees. Earlier, like all other religious institutions, Muslim trusts were administered by the state charity commissioner.
The question of who should control the city’s 1,700-odd Muslim religious trusts has led to a war of words between the charity commission and the state wakf board with the board’s chief executive officer telling the former to not interfere in the affairs of Muslim trusts.
These trusts own properties worth thousands of crores of rupees. Earlier, like all other religious institutions, Muslim trusts were administered by the state charity commissioner.
But after the implementation of the Wakf Act, 1995, administrative jurisdiction of the trusts passed to the state wakf board. Also, approvals for change of trustees and permissions to sell or redevelop trust properties are to be given by the wakf board.
However, wakf officials said the charity commission was still issuing orders permitting Muslim trusts to sell properties.
“We came to know of this after two trusts which wanted to redevelop their premises were asked by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) to get no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the wakf board,” said Atiq Shaikh, regional officer of the board’s Konkan division.
“The charity commissioner had given permission to sell the properties but the BMC and Mhada insisted on an approval from Wakf since these organisations are registered as Muslim religious trusts. We would not have to come to know of the developments if the BMC and Mhada had not raised the issue,” Shaikh added. The said properties include a chawl in Khetwadi and another property in Dimtimkar Road in Byculla.
Charity commissioner Madan Choure said the confusion was caused by two conflicting government resolutions (GRs). “We are following the second GR and accordingly, we have transferred the jurisdiction of some trusts to the board. But the trusts that are not mentioned in the GR are still administered by us,” said Choure.
“Somebody has to deal with these trusts.”
Apart from wakf officials, Muslim organisations have also objected to approvals given by the charity commissioner to sell properties owned by their religious trusts. A group called the All-India Muslim OBC Organisation has threatened to agitate.
“The charity commissioner has no right to issue orders for the sale of wakf land, but they are still issuing NOCs,” Shabbir Ansari, the president of the organisation, claimed. “The state government is turning a blind eye to the sale.”
Choure said his office was not breaking any law. “We have asked wakf officials to petition the government to cancel the second GR if they do not want us to deal with the other trusts.”
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