Latest news with #WaqfBoard
Hans India
18 hours ago
- General
- Hans India
Madhya Pradesh: Advisory issued for Eid al-Adha to ensure cleanliness and compliance
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board has issued a comprehensive advisory ahead of Eid al-Adha, emphasising the importance of maintaining hygiene and adhering to regulations during the ritual of sacrifice. The advisory outlines key guidelines to ensure the observance of the festival remains respectful and orderly. Muslims performing 'Qurbani' are urged to conduct the ritual only in designated areas, avoiding roadsides and public spaces. The board has also strictly prohibited the recording or sharing of videos and photos of the sacrifice on social media. Additionally, it encourages the distribution of a portion of the sacrificed animal to the poor and needy, reinforcing the spirit of generosity and community welfare. The advisory also calls for prayers for the safety of families and the soldiers guarding the nation's borders. The guidelines stress the importance of following legal and administrative protocols. Eid prayers should be offered within mosques or Idgahs, and not on public roads without prior permission from authorities, the Waqf Board said. The location for 'Qurbani' should be enclosed with walls or tin sheds, and necessary sanitation measures, including spraying disinfectants, should be undertaken. The remains of sacrificed animals must be disposed of responsibly in designated municipal containers or specified locations to maintain cleanliness, the board further advised. The advisory strictly prohibits the sacrifice of animals that are banned under government regulations. It also reiterates the importance of refraining from sharing any media content related to the sacrifice online. If additional space is required for Eid prayers, arrangements should be made in consultation with local authorities to prevent unnecessary congestion on streets. Madhya Pradesh is home to approximately 15,000 Waqf properties, including mosques, graveyards, dargahs, Eidgahs, Karbala sites, and madrasa schools. The Waqf Board has urged all district collectors and magistrates to ensure strict compliance with the advisory, making the festival a peaceful and well-organised event. Eid al-Adha, also known as the "Festival of Sacrifice", is observed on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar. It is the second major Islamic festival of the year, following Eid al-Fitr, which marks the conclusion of Ramadan. The date of Eid al-Adha varies annually due to the Islamic lunar calendar, which is approximately 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. The festival commemorates Prophet Abraham's faith and willingness to sacrifice for God, symbolising devotion and obedience.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC dismisses Delhi Waqf Board appeal seeking possession of gurdwara
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Delhi Waqf Board seeking possession of a pre-independence gurudwara in Oldenpur village of Shahdara as waqf property, observing that the board should have relinquished its claim once the records showed that a religious structure had been functioning on the land since 1948. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma passed the order on a 2012 appeal filed by the board, challenging a Delhi high court order of September 24, 2010, which held the property to be in possession of the late Hira Singh, who had purchased it from Mohammad Ahsan in 1953. Dismissing the appeal, the court said, 'The records show there is a gurudwara functioning since Partition. Once a religious structure is there, you should yourself relinquish your claim.' The Waqf Board, represented by senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose, contended that the high court disturbed concurrent findings by a trial court, first in October 1982 and then again in February 1989, in the board's favour. He said that the property has been since time immemorial dedicated as waqf property and witnesses in the suit deposed that there was a mosque and 'some sort of a gurudwara' came to be built over that. The bench interjected Ghose and said, 'It is not some sort of gurudwara. There is a fully functional gurudwara there.' The board claimed that the property in question was gazette notified on December 3, 1970, and subsequently corrected by another notification of April 29, 1978, published in the Delhi Gazette on May 18, 1978. As per the Waqf Board records, the property in question was notified as 'Masjid Takia Babbar Shah'. The high court, in its judgment, had said: 'The defendant (Singh) was admittedly in occupation of this property since 1947-48... It is also true that the defendant was not able to adduce any document of title to evidence the purchase of this property, yet this does not in any manner benefit the plaintiff (Waqf Board) who has to establish his own case and prove it to enable him to obtain a decree of possession.' The high court had noted that although the board claimed it to be waqf property, no dates were given as to from which date the property was being used as a masjid. 'This assumes special relevance as the defendant (Singh) in his written statement had specifically controverted this stand.' The board had relied on the deposition of witnesses, who attested to the fact that the mosque was constructed by Muslim owners of the property, and the defendant occupied it illegally since 1948. The high court relied on a 1979 Supreme Court decision in the Board of Muslim Waqfs, Rajasthan case, where it held that where a stranger who is a non-Muslim and is in possession of a certain property his right, title and interest therein cannot be put in jeopardy merely because the property is included in the list published under the Waqf Act, 1954. Going by this verdict, the high court held that the gazette notification of the property being waqf 'would not be binding on a stranger or a person who does not fall in the category of 'person interested in a wakf' as defined under Section 3(h) of the act. Singh had pointed out that the Gurudwara Managing Committee was managing the premises in dispute. It was further stated that the Waqf Board had filed two suits that were withdrawn in 1970 and 1978. He further pointed out that under Section 64 of the Limitation Act, a suit for recovery of possession of property has to be filed within 12 years from the date when the right to sue accrued. In the present case, the Waqf Board filed the suit in December 1980, which was time-barred.
NDTV
2 days ago
- General
- NDTV
"Let Gurdwara Be... Relinquish Your Right": Supreme Court To Delhi Waqf Board
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. The Supreme Court dismissed the Delhi Waqf Board's claim to land on which a gurdwara has been functioning since Partition, saying mere historical mosque claim is insufficient without being able to prove ownership. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a Delhi Waqf Board plea claiming land in the city's Shahdhara area on which a gurdwara has been functioning since the Partition. The court said that since the gurdwara has been operational for decades the Waqf Board should back down. In the hearing today senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose, arguing for the Waqf Board, said the lower courts had, in fact, held a mosque had been functioning there before the gurdwara came up. To this Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said, "Not 'some kind of'... a proper functioning gurdwara, and once there is a gurdwara, let it be. A religious structure is already functioning." "You should yourself relinquish that claim, you see," the court told the Waqf Board. According to the Waqf Board, which had approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court turned down its claim in 2010, the mosque that predated the gurdwara was the Masjid Takia Babbar Shah, and that it was built on land dedicated as waqf, or for religious purposes. The Delhi Wakf Board filed for recovery of the land as Waqf property. The defendant had argued, in the High Court and Supreme Court, the property ceased to become a waqf as the then-owner, Mohd Ahsaan, sold it in 1953. Fifteen years ago the High Court had admitted the fact of sale and possession, but also touched on the inability of the defendant to "adduce any document of title to evidence the purchase of this property". That, though, "does not benefit the plaintiff", the High Court said. The court noted the plaintiff, i.e., the Waqf Board had to establish its own case. Waqf and waqf properties are coming under increased scrutiny now following the government enacting amendments to laws governing the management of Waqf properties nationwide. Those amendments had been challenged by opposition parties in the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on that clutch of petitions. Meanwhile, however, the government this week said it would press on with one of the revisions - the mandatory registration of Waqf properties. If any Waqf property is not registered, it will be considered as disputed and the matter will be sent to the Waqf Tribunal, sources said. If registration is delayed due to some technical or any other major issue, an extra one to two months can be granted.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Supreme Court dismisses Delhi Waqf Board's claim over gurudwara property
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Delhi Waqf Board seeking possession of a pre-independence gurudwara as waqf property, observing that the Board should have relinquished its claim once records showed that a religious structure has been functioning on the land since 1948. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma, sitting during the partial court working days, passed the order while deciding a 2012 appeal filed by the Board, challenging an order of September 24, 2010 by the Delhi high court, which held the property to be in possession of late Hira Singh, who had purchased the property from Mohammad Ahsan in 1953. Dismissing the appeal, the court said, 'The records show there has been a gurudwara functioning since partition. Once a religious structure is there, you should yourself relinquish your claim.' The Waqf Board represented by senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose said that the high court disturbed the concurrent findings on fact by the trial court, first decided in October 1982, followed by another decision in February 1989, both decided in the Board's favour. He said that the property has been since time immemorial dedicated as waqf property and witnesses in the suit deposed that there was a mosque that existed and 'some sort of a gurudwara' came to be built over that. The bench interjected Ghose and said, 'It is not some sort of gurudwara. There is a fully functional gurudwara there,' referring to the site in question located in village Oldenpur, Shahdara. The Board had claimed that the property in question has been used as waqf since time immemorial and was notified in the notification of gazette on December 3, 1970 and subsequently corrected by another notification of April 29, 1978 published in the Delhi Gazette on May 18, 1978. As per the Waqf Board records, the property in question was notified as 'Masjid Takia Babbar Shah'. The high court judgment had decided in favour of late Hira Singh as it concluded, 'The defendant (Singh) was admittedly in occupation of this property since 1947-48.' At the same time, the court had said, 'It is also true that the defendant was not able to adduce any document of title to evidence the purchase of this property, yet this does not in any manner benefit the plaintiff (Waqf Board) who has to establish his own case and prove it to enable him to obtain a decree of possession.' Further, the high court noted that though the Board claimed it to be waqf property, no dates were given as to from which date the property was being used as a masjid. 'This assumes special relevance as the defendant (Singh) in his written statement had specifically controverted this stand.' The Board had relied on deposition of witnesses who attested to the fact that the mosque was constructed by the Muslims, who were the owners of the property, and the defendant occupied it illegally since 1948. Further, the high court relied upon a 1979 Supreme Court decision in Board of Muslim Waqfs, Rajasthan case where the top court held that where a stranger who is a non-Muslim and is in possession of a certain property his right, title and interest therein cannot be put in jeopardy merely because the property is included in the list published under the Act. Going by this verdict, the high court held that the gazette notification of the property being waqf 'would not be binding upon a stranger or a person who does not fall in the category of 'person interested in a wakf' as defined under Section 3(h) of the Act. Singh had pointed out that the premises in dispute used as a Gurdwara is being managed by the Gurudwara Managing Committee. It was further stated that the Waqf Board had in the past filed two suits that were withdrawn in the year 1970 and 1978. He further pointed out under Section 64 of the Limitation Act, a suit for recovery of possession of property has to be filed within 12 years from the date when the right to sue accrued. In the present case, the Waqf Board filed the suit in December 1980, which was time barred.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Unregistered waqf properties will be excluded from soon to be launched Central Waqf Portal
NEW DELHI: Unregistered waqf properties, including those in the 'waqf by user' category, will not be included in the database of the soon to be launched Central Waqf Portal, which will follow a three-tier verification and security system comprising the 'maker-checker-approver' mechanism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The portal, likely to be launched in early June, will replace the current repository of waqf property data — the Waqf Assets Management System of India. All those registered on the WAMSI portal will have to register afresh on the Central Waqf Portal, sources in the minority affairs ministry said. Under the new process, the mutawalli (caretaker) will serve as the 'maker', entering property details. The Waqf Board official will function as the 'checker', reviewing and validating entries. Finally, a designated 'govt authority' will act as the 'approver', ensuring full verification before records are finalised. According to ministry officials all those who are not registered and do not qualify the three layer check will need to complete the registration formalities to be onboarded on the portal. 'This structured process will significantly minimise discrepancies and bring transparency to waqf property registration and monitoring,' the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday after a training session on the portal's features for a team of master trainers from different states. Officials from various state/UT Waqf Boards attended the workshop. 'The Central Waqf Portal, being developed under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 is poised to be a transformative digital platform that will serve as a centralized repository of Waqf property records across India,' the ministry asserted. There are over 8.7 lakh properties registered as waqf and more than 4.2 lakh are in the category of 'waqf by user' as per data shared by states with the ministry. According to the ministry, waqf properties are spread over 39 lakh acres across the country. Officials said data on registered waqf properties on the WAMSI was severely lacking and the new portal seeks to plug the gaps.
