Wakf Board takes over Madina Group buildings

Hyderabad, Jan 15 : Acting on an enquiry report submitted over 10 years ago, the Andhra Pradesh State Wakf Board on Wednesday took over the control of five prime properties and institutions of Madina Education and Welfare Society.

Addressing a press conference at Haj House, Wakf Board Special Officer and Minority Welfare Commissioner Shaik Mohammad Iqbal announced that all five prime properties have been taken over by the Wakf Board under its direct management. The properties are Baitul Madina at Nampally (953 Sq Yards), Madina Manzil at Himayathnagar (2726.6 Sq Yards), Madina Mahal at Hyderguda (276 Sq Yards), 10 shops at Vittalwadi and Madina Villa at Dilawargunj of Mangalhat. The Baitul Madina opposite Public Garden houses multi-floor Madina Education Centre while Madina Manzil houses Madina Public School, Junior and Degree Colleges and Madina Mahal houses a health centre.

Disclosing the details, Iqbal said that the five Wakf properties were under the control of Anjuman Dasti Parcha Bafi Harmain Shareefain, a society registered in 1947. KM Arifuddin became the Mutawalli (Caretaker) of these properties between 1984-89 and he formed Madina Education and Welfare Society in 1991. Interestingly, Arifuddin acted both as the landlord and tenant and gave these prime properties on nominal rent/lease to Madina Education and Welfare Society owned by him. He said that the real income of these properties was concealed and in 2013 the Madina Society paid just Rs 11,777, the seven per cent Wakf fund, to the Wakf Board stating that it earned just Rs 169,671.

What triggered the Wakf Board was a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a social worker Syed Farees Ahmed of Moghalpura in the Andhra Pradesh High Court. It was on August 7, 2003, when MA Hafiz Siddiqui, an enquiry officer, submitted a report against the irregularities in the Madina Education and Welfare Society. The Wakf Board then served a notice and did not receive any reply from KM Arifuddin.

On November 25, 2013, the Wakf Board passed a resolution to constitute a three-member committee to review the case. However, Farees Ahmed approached the High Court against the Wakf Board’s inaction for the last 10 years. The High Court has reportedly reprimanded the Wakf Board for staying silent on a report for the last one decade and ordered the CEO to appear before it on January 27th. Following this move, the Wakf Board reviewed the complete case and decided to take over the Wakf properties.

Iqbal said that a five-member team led by Deputy Secretary MA Ghaffar took over the Wakf properties on Wednesday. He also announced that the enquiry report submitted 10 years ago has also been accepted. Further, he said that the House Committee on Wakf Properties has recommended action against several officials including Mohammad Siddiqui, Mahmud Siddiqui, Mir Kamaluddin Ali Khan and Mohammad Laiq Ali Khan. Since all the officials have retired, the Wakf Board would review the charges against them and take appropriate legal action.

The Special Officer said that the staff and students of the education institutions of Madina institutions would remain undisturbed due to this development. He said criminal cases would also be filed against the previous management, if necessary. INN