Delhi: Reconstitute Waqf board, Kejriwal urges L-G Anil Baijal

The issue of several posts lying vacant in the Waqf Board and corruption among its existing officials was the major highlight of the last day of Delhi Assembly’s winter session

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with other Aam Aadmi Party legislators, on Wednesday urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to allow the constitution of Delhi Waqf Board.

Delhi BJP MLAs arrive for the final day of the Assembly session on Wednesday. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The issue of several posts lying vacant in the Waqf Board and corruption among its existing officials was the major highlight of the last day of Delhi Assembly’s winter session. After legislators discussed the findings and recommendations of the Assembly’s Questions and Reference Committee, former chairperson of the Board and Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan submitted his resignation as a member of Delhi Waqf Board.

“If with my resignation the L-G agrees to constitute the Delhi Waqf Board, then so be it. I am resigning as member of the board,” Khan told the House.

Revenue minister Kailash Gahlot alleged that the L-G “does not want” to appoint the board’s chairperson and that the vacant post is leading to “corruption and misuse” of Waqf property.

“I want to know why the L-G is not appointing the chairperson despite the fact that all laid down procedures have been followed. The High Court was also aware that elections to the Board were ongoing and so it had put a stay on only one post. The others can be filled,” Gahlot said.

He said that when AAP MLA Amantullah Khan was the chairperson till October, 2016, the board’s income had risen to around Rs 1 crore from about Rs 25,000.

Later, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet, “L-G should permit constitution of Delhi Waqf Board to prevent such wrongdoings (sic).”

The House, that was discussing the interim report of the Question and Reference Committee, which found that a portion of a Dargah land in Chirag Delhi was illegally sold, later passed a resolution seeking a magisterial probe into 36 court cases, in which the Delhi Waqf Board had lost.