Siddaramaiah orders withdrawal of Waqf notices to farmers
CM Siddaramaiah directed that any unauthorised changes made to land records (Pahani or RTC) without prior notice or legal procedures should be nullified.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday ordered revenue department officials to immediately withdraw notices issued to farmers concerning Waqf land claims, a statement from the chief minister’s office said.
A decision to this effect was taken during a high-level meeting, with senior officials from the revenue department, the minority welfare department, and the Karnataka board of Waqfs.
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“Chief minister Siddaramaiah has issued a strict directive for the immediate retraction of all notices sent to farmers about Waqf land, emphasising that no disruption should be caused to them,” the CMO statement said.
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The statement noted Siddaramaiah’s dissatisfaction with recent actions by certain officials and highlighted concerns that the opposition Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party were allegedly using the Waqf issue for political gains, potentially disrupting peace in the state. “Siddaramaiah has urged the public to ignore any misinformation and directed officials to handle the matter with sensitivity,” it added.
The statement also emphasised that all notices issued to farmers regarding land records tied to Waqf properties must be promptly withdrawn. Officials were instructed to avoid harassing farmers or causing any issues related to lands under their possession.
The CM further directed that any unauthorised changes made to land records (Pahani or RTC) without prior notice or legal procedures should be immediately nullified.
The order came days after protests, that began in Vijayapura and soon spread to Dharwad and Kalaburagi, over notices that asked farmers to submit land records to prove ownership or ownership would be transferred to the Waqf Board.
The meeting was attended by Karnataka law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil, revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and senior government officials. However, minority welfare and Waqf minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan was not present. Following the meeting, the CM urged Karnataka residents to reject divisive politics and not to fall for misinformation campaigns.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, home minister G Parameshwar said, “Chief minister Siddaramaiah has issued a clear directive to deputy commissioners stating that no notices should be issued to farmers regarding any Waqf Board property. Any notices that have already been given should be immediately withdrawn.”
“This closes the matter for now. How it may develop in the future remains to be seen. There will be no confusion as long as the registrations in the Revenue Department and the Waqf Board are aligned. Ultimately, revenue documentation takes precedence, and it will be recorded as is. I assure you, the government will not take any adverse action on farmers,” he added.
Farmers welcomed the decision. “The government has taken right decision at the right time,” said Channappa Gowda, a farmer in Chikkaballapura. “I was shocked after revenue officials entered Waqf in record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) certificate in my two acres land. This is my ancestral property,” he said.
According to people familiar with the matter, the farmers’ bodies will be holding a meeting soon to decide on the next course of action.
The BJP, however, called it “appeasement politics”. “The state government is doing appeasement politics just for votes, the BJP is preparing to hold statewide agitation in all district headquarters on Monday,” state unit BJP spokesperson M Karunakar said. “The governments only aim is to strengthen Waqf board by snatching lands of Hindus, everyone knows that 90% of the lands of farmers are ancestral, how can Waqf claim ownership,” he asked.