58,000 waqf properties facing encroachment: Govt report
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New Delhi: The government announced on Wednesday that 58,929 waqf properties are currently facing encroachment, with 869 of these located in Karnataka.
In response to a query by BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai in the Lok Sabha, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the ministry and the Central Waqf Council (CWC) frequently receive complaints related to waqf properties, which are then forwarded to relevant state waqf boards and governments for action.
“According to the Waqf Assets Management System of India (WAMSI), 58,929 waqf properties are affected by encroachment, including 869 in Karnataka,” Rijiju said.
The minister emphasized that under Sections 54 and 55 of the Waqf Act, the chief executive officers of state waqf boards have the authority to take legal action against unauthorized occupation and encroachment.
Additionally, Section 51(1-A) states that any sale, gift, exchange, mortgage, or transfer of waqf property is void ab initio, Rijiju noted.
The central government has also established the Waqf Properties Lease Rules, 2014, under Section 56 of the Act, granting state waqf boards the authority to lease waqf properties.
With PTI inputs
