The Chandrababu Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh government has dissolved the state Waqf board nominated by the previous YSR Congress regime.
The move comes in the backdrop of the ongoing uproar against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Naidu government’s order
In an order dated November 30, the state government noted that AP State Waqf Board, formed by the YSRC regime, had been non-functional for a prolonged time (from March 2023).
The then formed Waqf board had a total of 11 member, of whom three were elected and rest eight were nominated.
Notably, the Andhra Pradesh high Court had on November 1, 2023, stayed the election of the state Waqf Board’s chairperson after a plea challenged the process followed to constitute the board.
The order further read, “The Chief Executive Officer, A.P State Waqf Board, Vijayawada, brought to the Government’s attention the prolonged non-functioning of the Board and the pendency of writ petitions questioning the legality of GOMs No. 47 to resolve the litigations and prevent an administrative vacuum.”
After careful consideration of all the aspects and the High Court order, the Minorities Welfare Department said, the state government withdraws the GO date October 21, 2023, with “immediate effect”.
Minister of Minority Welfare N Md Farooq, meanwhile, said, “The coalition government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is committed to the protection and management of Waqf properties and the welfare of minorities.”
“The government is taking steps in this direction,” Farooq was quoted as saying by Telangana Today.
Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024
Notably, the Central government had introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha in August. The bill, aimed at amending the Waqf Act, 1995, is a law governing Waqf boards to ensure more accountability and transparency in their functioning and mandatory inclusion of women in these bodies, has drawn the ire of the Muslim community.
The bill seeks to bring sweeping reforms, introducing digitisation, stricter audits, transparency and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.
While the opposition has expressed strong exceptions to the amendment bill, the Centre is firm on the act being a good development.
The Lok Sabha on Thursday extended the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, till the last day of the Budget Session next year. The extension has been granted so that other stakeholders, including states, can present their views on the bill before the JPC.
The JPC has already held a series of meetings to gather inputs from legal experts, government officials, state Waqf board members, and other community representatives, to aim for the most comprehensive reform possible.
