The Allahabad High Court on Friday quashed the UP government order removing six nominated members of Shia Waqf Board. A vacation bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice SN Agnihotri quashed the order on the grounds that they were not provided an opportunity of hearing, which was mandatory under provisions of Waqf Act 1995. The court, however gave liberty to the state government to proceed afresh in accordance with law.
Sacked members of Shia waqf board led by Aalima Zaidi had moved the court against the removal. The government removed board members including former Rajya Sabha member Akhtar Hassan, Sayyed Wali Haider (Moradabad), Afsha Zaidi (Muzaffarnagar), Sayyed Azim Hussain, Nazmul Hassan Rizwi and Alima Zaidi (Bareilly). They were nominated by the previous Samajwadi Party government.
On June 16, the UP government announced the dissolution of UP Shia and Sunni central waqf boards on charges of rampant corruption. A day later, six members of Shia wakf board were removed from their positions.
After ordering dissolution of the two waqf boards, the government also recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities worth crores of rupees committed by officials of the bodies.
The government decided to dissolve both boards on the recommendations of Central Waqf Council (CWC). The Council filed a report by a fact-finding committee a fortnight after the SP suffered a humiliating defeat in the Assembly polls and indicted controversial Waqf minister Azam Khan in Akhilesh Yadav government of corruption, mismanagement and misuse of office in the first week of April.
The CWC also said that the boards were corrupt and recommended that a CBI probe be initiated into alleged financial and land irregularities that officials of both boards allegedly engaged in.
On Thursday, the lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court directed the state asking it to produce original report on the basis of which members were removed. While granting 24 hours time to Additional Advocate General Ramesh Kumar Singh to make the government’s stand clear, the court expressed concerns over removal of nominated board members.
The role of Chairman of Shia waqf board Wasim Rizvi and Waqf minister in the previous SP regime Azam Khan had came under the scanner after an inquiry by the CWC. However Khan maintained that the allegations were baseless and said that he was ready for a CBI probe.