Wanting to know the fate of Wakf properties across the country, which were sought to be digitised under a pilot scheme of the Government launched in 2009, the Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on a PIl that had failed to obtain these details under RTI.
With allegations about several Wakf properties being encroached, Moradabad-based NGO Manav Vikas Sewa Samiti, had sought details under RTI on the state of properties managed under the Wakf Board in the country. To its surprise, the Delhi Wakf Board cited lack of wherewithal to supply the information while UP Wakf Board demanded a cost of Rs 4 lakh for supplying the “voluminous” documents.
Ultimately, forced to approach the apex court, the petitioner informed the bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam that under a 2009 scheme launched by the Centre, records of Wakf properties were to be computerised. A fund of Rs 25 crore was also set apart for this task. But four years down the line, neither there was any digital record nor any account of the money spent. “This is a very important matter,” noted the bench, also comprising Justices Ranjana Desai and Shiv Kirti Singh. The Court issued notice to the Minority Affairs Ministry, various Wakf boards of states, and National Informatics Centre.
It was pursuant to a report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, an order was issued on December 18 last year to all Wakf Boards for digitising their records and details of properties attached to them, the petition said. “Since no timeframe was made by the Ministry of Minority Affairs for the completion of work of digitisation of record of Wakf Boards, therefore, most of the Wakf Boards have failed to complete their work...,” the petitioner said. The petition, filed through lawyer Shaad Anwar, also sought a direction to Wakf Boards to respond to queries under the Right to Information Act.