As both houses of Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has swiftly sprung into action. He has directed the cabinet and administrative heads to take appropriate measures in accordance with the new amendment. The government will confiscate the properties declared illegally as Waqf in the entire state. In this regard, authorities have instructed District Magistrates of all districts to run a campaign. Various reports indicate that the Revenue Department records only 2,963 registered Waqf properties. Officials have wrongfully designated the remaining properties as Waqf, violating legal provisions.
What The Government Says
According to the government, the public properties and the village society lands cannot be Waqf properties. However, many properties in the state have been declared as Waqf arbitrarily and the board’s property. These include barns, ponds and rivers.
Meanwhile, the case regarding the declaration of a pond’s land as Waqf in Pilibhit is ongoing in the High Court. In light of this, the Revenue Department has launched a statewide survey to identify properties illegally designated as Waqf. Authorities have instructed District Magistrates to compile and submit a detailed report on the findings.
Land Transfer In Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, land transfers follow a prescribed procedure based on the area, whether urban or rural. In urban areas, properties outside the Z ‘A’ category are not registered. The Waqf Board’s Register-37 lists 1,24,355 properties under the Sunni Waqf Board and 7,785 properties under the Shia Waqf Board. However, District Magistrates have reported that official revenue records include only 2,533 Sunni and 430 Shia properties. This means that the remaining properties have no mention in the revenue records. The government believes it has the authority to reclaim these properties.
Also Read: After Parliament Clears Waqf Amendment Bill, Yogi Adityanath Swings Into Action – Here’s What’s Next For Uttar Pradesh
Authorities can consider only donated property as Waqf
The Revenue Department has instructed all District Magistrates to conduct a survey and submit a detailed report. Authorities have assigned them the responsibility of identifying properties in their district that officials illegally declared as Waqf in violation of regulations. The government has stated that Waqf status applies only to donated properties, while it prohibits the designation of Gram Samaj and government-owned lands as Waqf.
