Karnataka Waqf Row: 2012 Report Reveals Modus Operandi By ‘Influential’ Netas To Siphon Off Funds | Exclusive

Last Updated:November 09, 2024, 11:45 IST

According to the report, of the estimated value of Rs 410 lakh crore in Waqf properties, Rs 2 lakh crore has “either been encroached upon or sold by successive Waqf Board chairmen and members”

Waqf JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal shows a petition he received after a meeting with local farmers regarding their lands being claimed by the State Waqf Board in Hubballi, Karnataka. (PTI)

The Congress government in Karnataka recently said a ‘Waqf Task Force’ was set up the day allegations were levelled by farmers that the Waqf Board is attempting to claim 1,500 acres of farmland in Vijayapura district, about 687 kilometres from Bengaluru.

As the Siddaramaiah government fire-fights the contentious issue, documents accessed exclusively by News18 show that successive governments in the state are yet to act on a 2012 report which details alleged encroachments of Waqf properties by prominent politicians, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Karnataka chief minister Dharam Singh, former Union minister K Rahman Khan, and current cabinet minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, among others.

Although a Lokayukta investigation into Waqf-related issues was ordered in 2012 by then chief minister Sadananda Gowda, the report “went into cold storage and was not acted upon", Anwar Manipaddy, former chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission and ex-vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), told News18.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government appointed Jagdambika Pal as chairman of a JPC to probe allegations of Waqf-related encroachments.

Manippady said the JPC set up to probe Waqf-related issues has now taken cognisance of the report and asked him to appear before them in Delhi on October 14.

‘Waqf Mafia’

The report’s allegations focus on a “systematic modus operandi by influential politicians to siphon funds from Waqf institutions", which manage properties dedicated to the welfare of the Muslim community.

Manipaddy’s report states that “it is shocking to observe that, out of the estimated value of Rs 410 lakh crore in Waqf properties, Rs 2 lakh crore has either been encroached upon or sold by successive Waqf Board chairmen and members".

“Most of the time, prominent political leaders from the minority community are deeply involved in the misuse of Waqf properties. There exists a ‘Waqf mafia’ supported by wealthy, influential, elected representatives who hold key positions in the Karnataka State Boards of Waqf."

Opposition Members of Parliament had boycotted the presentation of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, during the JPC meeting, claiming that the allegations against Kharge from the 2012 report were intended to “malign him and the party".

‘Indifference, Misuse Led to Waqf Encroachments’

The 2012 report criticises the lack of audits for Waqf institutions’ assets and the state Waqf Board’s indifference, which it claims has allowed misuse, encroachments, and illegal disposals of these properties. The report was submitted to then chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda in 2012, who took no action, and it was later tabled by BS Yediyurappa in 2020.

Several leaders have since challenged the findings in court.

Manipaddy described the irregularities in Waqf properties as “the biggest scam since the 2G scam". He also pointed to a severe lack of accountability in enforcing the Waqf Acts of 1954 and 1995, where “connivance, misuse, and adoption of illegal methods in managing Waqf properties, along with suppression of documents and facts in judicial proceedings" have allegedly enabled the embezzlement of Waqf assets.

The report also notes the Karnataka government’s substantial funding of Waqf properties through “grant-in-aid schemes".

However, the district Waqf officer reportedly lacks records of the amounts released to each institution under this programme, with “no annual records of year-wise fund allocations to the Karnataka Waqf Board by the Karnataka government, the Karnataka State Waqf Board, or the district advisory committees".

Recommendations of Manippady Report

The Manippady report made the following recommendations:

• Hand over all Waqf Board irregularities to the Lokayukta for investigation, keeping the Board in abeyance to ensure a free and fair inquiry.

• Have the minority welfare department identify encroachments by government agencies on Waqf properties and start collecting rent to benefit the relevant Waqf institution.

• Implement a time-bound roadmap for protecting Waqf properties.

• The Union government regulate the secular activities of Waqf properties under the Waqf Act of 1995.

Social Media War Over Waqf

On Friday, the Waqf controversy escalated into a public spat between Bengaluru South MP and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge. The clash stemmed from a social media post allegedly linking a farmer’s suicide to the ongoing Waqf issue.

An FIR was filed against Surya over the post, which the ruling Congress claimed was misleading. Surya countered, accusing Kharge of targeting political opponents by filing baseless cases. Surya also highlighted that the deceased farmer’s father, Channappa, confirmed his grievance and had submitted a memorandum to the JPC chief on November 7.

In a now-deleted post on X, Surya, a member of the JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, alleged that farmer Rudrappa Channappa Balikai from Haveri had taken his life after finding out that his land had been “taken over by Waqf". However, Vijayapura district in-charge minister MB Patil clarified that while farmers in other villages had received notices, no such notice had been issued in Honavad village, attributing the misunderstanding to a 1974 gazette notification.

News politics Karnataka Waqf Row: 2012 Report Reveals Modus Operandi By ‘Influential’ Netas To Siphon Off Funds | Exclusive