LG not interested in appointing Waqf Board chairperson: Gahlot

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday alleged that Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal does not want to appoint the chairperson of Delhi Waqf Board, which is leading to 'corruption and misuse' of its property. Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot sought to know why the LG was not appointing the chairperson despite the fact that all laid down procedure have been followed.

The minister appealed to the LG to appoint the Waqf board chairperson while participating in a discussion over the issue in the Delhi Assembly.

On Tuesday, the Delhi Assembly-appointed committee found that a part of the land belonging to Hazrat Naseeruddin Aulia Dargah in the national capital was sold illegally in connivance with some Delhi Waqf Board officials in 2016.

The Delhi Assembly's Questions and Reference Committee, headed by Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, had tabled the report in the House. As per the report, a part of the land of Dargah, located in Chirag Delhi area, was sold by the officials of Waqf Board. The Committee recommended to Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash to initiate criminal and privilege proceedings against a section officer KA Farooqui for sale of the property and also for giving 'misleading' and 'manipulated' deposition during investigation of the case. It also asked the Chief Secretary to submit an action taken report in the House within a month's time.

The House later passed a resolution seeking a magisterial probe into 36 cases where the Delhi Waqf Board has lost in the past. Raising the issue of illegal sale of Dargah land in the House, AAP MLA Sourabh Bharadwaj said the board has been 'headless' for over one-and-a-half-year which is a very serious issue. "As there has been no appointment of the chairperson, Waqf properties are being encroached. The matter has been pending with the LG office for one and a half years, but he has not appointed the chairperson yet," Bharadwaj said.

CM Arvind Kejriwal later urged the LG to allow constitution of the Delhi Waqf Board. L-G should permit constitution of Delhi Waqf Board to prevent such wrongdoings (sic)," Kejriwal said in a tweet. The House was discussing the interim report of Question & Reference Committee which found that a portion of a Dargah land was illegally sold out.