Page 2 - Waqf Board

Waqf row: K'taka govt warns officials issuing eviction notice to farmers

The Karnataka government has warned that disciplinary action will be taken against those officials who change the land mutation records and serve eviction notices to farmers under the Waqf Act. In a letter, the Revenue Department Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria reminded all regional commissioners and deputy commissioners in the districts that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently had a meeting following complaints about certain land properties being made in favour of the Karnataka Board of Waqfs. In the meeting it was decided that all the directions issued previously by any government office or authority to change the mutation records has been withdrawn, the letter said. It added that all the notices served in the past have also been withdrawn and no action should be taken against the farmers who are cultivating on the said land. On the directions of the chief minister, the previous letters and the latest reminders served on November 7 to the farmers and land owners have

JPC meeting on Waqf Bill chaired by Jagatambika Pal begins in Guwahati

The meeting is part of the JPC's study tour in five cities namely Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow from November 9 to November 14

PM Modi trying to forcefully pass Waqf (Amendment) Bill: Sanjay Singh

Singh called the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) tour a drama and a medium to divert attention from the issues

Tejasvi Surya, Kannada news portals' editors booked for spreading fake news

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and editors of some Kannada news portals have been booked for allegedly spreading fake news linking a farmer's suicide to land disputes with Waqf Board, police said on Friday. Sharing the article of the news portals on 'X', the Bengaluru South MP on November 7 alleged that a farmer in Haveri district died by suicide after finding his land had been taken over by the Board. "In their haste to appease minorities, CM@Siddaramaiah @BZ ZameerAhmed K have unleashed catastrophic effects in Karnataka that are becoming impossible to contain with every passing day," Surya alleged. The post was deleted by the MP later after Haveri district Superintendent of Police termed the news article as fake. "The news shared is false. No such incident was reported. The farmer mentioned here, Rudrappa Channappa Balikai suicide was reported on 06/01/2022 and it was reported due to loan and crop loss," the SP said. A case was registered under 174 CrPC in Adar police station and the fina

Waqf row: BJP submits fact-finding report on alleged land grab in Karnataka

The committee, led by BJP MP Govind M Karjol claims that there were several instances of land records being altered

Waqf row: JPC Chairman meets farmers in Karnataka, Congress lashes out

The farmers say that they have been here for almost 70 years, but despite that the Waqf board is claiming ownership of their land, Pal added

Dawoodi Bohras ask Parliamentary panel to be kept out of Waqf law

Contending that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill does not recognise their special status, the Dawoodi Bohra community, an affluent but microscopic minority sect among Muslims, told the parliamentary committee examining the proposed law that they should be kept out of the purview of any Waqf board. Senior advocate Harish Salve appeared for them before the panel headed by veteran BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, and a written submission made by the community noted that it is a "small and tightly-knit" denomination. "Its affairs do not need the kind of regulation that may be considered necessary or even desirable in relation to other denominations that do not believe in any such religious tenet," it said, according to sources. It is necessary that the community members are permitted to establish, maintain, manage and administer such properties in accordance with their beliefs and essential religious practices, it stressed. The power of the Waqf board undermines the community's founding faith, it claim

Opposition MPs may exit Waqf panel, protest against 'unilateral' actions

Opposition MPs in the parliamentary committee scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill are likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday over its chairperson Jagdambika Pal's alleged unilateral decisions and attempts to "bulldoze" proceedings without giving them reasonable time to prepare. Claiming that they have been "stonewalled" during the committee's proceedings, opposition MPs have written in their letter, which they circulated among themselves on Monday, to Birla that they may be forced to disassociate with the panel. Opposition sources said they are likely to meet Birla on Tuesday and put forward their grievances. Opposition members, including DMK's A Raja, Congress's Mohammad Jawed and Imran Masood, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, AAP's Sanjay Singh and TMC's Kalyan Banerjee among others, have written the joint letter addressed to the Speaker. They accused Pal, a seasoned BJP MP, of taking "unilateral decisions" on fixing the dates of sittings and at times for three consecut

Waqf properties' row: BJP's protest nothing but politics, says Siddaramaiah

Upping the ante following allegations by a section of farmers in certain parts of Karnataka that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, BJP on Monday held a state-wide protest, accusing the ruling Congress government of indulging in "land jihad". The opposition party also demanded the sacking of Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan from the Cabinet. The BJP has decided to go ahead with the protest despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directing officials that all notices issued to farmers be immediately revoked, and any unauthorised amendments in land records without due notice must also be nullified. There were allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, and similar charges have surfaced from few other places. While BJP state President B Y Vijayendra led the protest in Ballari, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly R Ashoka took part in it at K R Puram here. Similarly, various party leaders have ..

Waqf Bill: Parliament panel meets today to hear Muslim women group, others

The meetings of the JCP are part of a broader initiative to reform the Waqf Act, which has faced criticisms of mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments

Satheesan urges Kerala CM for party meet as Munambam land dispute grows

As residents of Munambam village in Ernakulam district intensified their protest against the Waqf Board's claim over their land, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Monday urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to convene an all-party meeting to resolve the land dispute. In a statement, Satheesan said he has written to the Chief Minister requesting an all-party meeting to discuss the issue. He noted that the legal proceedings initiated by the Waqf Board to reclaim 404 acres of land in Munambam have placed over 600 families in a difficult situation. Observing that no Muslim religious organisation has claimed that the land in Munambam is Waqf property, the Leader of the Opposition demanded that the land be given to the current residents unconditionally and called for the government's urgent intervention in the matter. "This is an issue that could be resolved in 10 minutes," he said in the letter. Satheesan said that communal forces are trying to exp

Even 'crutches' will not escape responsibility if Waqf Bill passed: Jamiat

Stepping up its campaign against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Sunday urged TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar to heed the sentiments of Muslims on the matter. It also cautioned that if the legislation is passed, the "two crutches" on which the BJP-led government is running at the Centre would not be able to escape responsibility. Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani made the assertion at the prominent Muslim body's 'Save Constitution Convention' held here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. "People of the country defeated the BJP. They did not accept their policies. This government is dependent on two crutches - a strong one is Chandrababu and the other is Bihar's Nitish Kumar. I had invited him (Naidu), he excused himself but has sent his party's vice president Nawab Jan. I look at this positively as he will convey the sentiments of the people gathered here," Madani said, gesturing to the large gathering of Jamiat functionaries and ...

K'taka CM orders withdrawal of notices to farmers over Waqf land disputes

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday instructed officials to immediately withdraw all notices sent to farmers concerning Waqf land issues. A decision to this effect was taken during a high-level meeting, with senior officials from the Revenue department, the Minority Welfare department, and the Karnataka Board of Waqfs. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued a strict directive for the immediate retraction of all notices sent to farmers about Waqf land, emphasising that no disruption should be caused to them," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) read. The statement noted Siddaramaiah's dissatisfaction with recent actions by certain officials and highlighted concerns that the JD(S) and BJP were allegedly using the Waqf issue for political gains, potentially disrupting peace in the state. Siddaramaiah has urged the public to ignore any misinformation and directed officials to handle the matter with sensitivity, it added. The statement also emphasised that

BJP raking up Waqf issue with eye on Assembly elections, bypolls: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday alleged that BJP was raking up the "Waqf issue" with an eye on the upcoming assembly by-polls in the state and elections in neighboring Maharashtra. Following allegations by a section of farmers in certain parts of the state that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, he reiterated that none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn. "BJP is doing politics. Notices were issued during their (BJP) tenure too, what do they have to say about it? During BJP's tenure over 200 notices were given. One should not practice such dual politics," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters here, the CM said, "I have already said that the notices will be withdrawn, where is the issue? In case the notices are issued they will be withdrawn and no one will be evicted, where is the issue?" "Whichever district it is...They (BJP) had also given notices in several districts. Why did they give? Why are they doing such politi

ED chargesheets AAP lawmaker Amanatullah Khan in alleged Delhi Waqf Board

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan over money laundering charges in a case of alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board. The 110-page supplementary chargesheet also named one Mariam Siddiqui, who was not arrested by the ED as an accused in the case. The court is likely to take it up for consideration on November 4. Khan was arrested by the ED on September 2 from his Okhla residence and is currently in judicial custody. Special judge Vishal Gogne on Tuesday posted his bail application for hearing on November 7.

Waqf (Amendment) Bill: Opposition MPs walk out of meet over witness list

Opposition MPs stage walkout from Waqf Bill panel, alleging witnesses lack relevance to the legislation; return briefly after protest

Waqf Bill panel meet: TMC MP smashes glass bottle during heated exchange

At the meeting, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee smashed a glass water bottle and threw it away during a heated exchange of words with Bharatiya Janata Party's Abhijit Gangopadhyay

JPC to hold meeting on Waqf Bill, aims for community-focused reforms

The committee met on Monday, inviting officials from the Ministry of Minority Affairs to provide oral evidence regarding the bill

Minority affairs ministry gives presentation on Waqf bill, oppn MPs protest

The Minorities Affairs Ministry on Monday made an extensive presentation at a parliamentary panel meeting to address the queries of MPs on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, with some opposition members arguing that the ministry's consultations over the years never called for a new law. A batch of petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the insertion of words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Constitution in 1976 also cast a shadow on the meeting as heated words were exchanged after opposition MPs questioned the panel's decision to seek depositions from some lawyers behind the plea, drawing reaction from BJP members. A BJP MP said all Indians are stakeholders in any proposed law, and the committee in its wisdom can call anyone it deems fit to offer any valuable suggestion. The Waqf law has impacted a large number of non-Muslims, he claimed. Advocates Ashwini Upadhyay, a BJP member, and Vishnu Shankar Jain are among those behind the SC pleas. They had last week appeared before the committe

Kerala govt adopts resolution demanding withdrawal of Wakf Amendment Bill

The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution against the proposed amendment to the Wakf Act by the Centre. State Minister for Minority Welfare, Wakf and Hajj Pilgrimage, V Abdurahiman presented the resolution for the government, alleging that the proposed amendments by the union government are against the values and rights ensured in the country's Constitution and a gross violation of the federalist principles. The resolution alleged that the proposed bill, which is now under the consideration of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, violates the fundamental rights, right to belief, federalism, secularism, and democracy. The proposed bill also aimed at seizing the powers of the states in enacting laws related to the Wakf and violates the federal principles of the Indian Constitution, it said. "The move to omit democratically elected members from the Board and to include only nominated members and a chairman nominated by the nominated members would be completely again