Andhra Pradesh Govt Dissolves Waqf Board Constituted by Jagan-Led Regime Citing Legal Challenges
Andhra Pradesh government has dissolved the State Waqf Board, replacing it with a new board chaired by TDP's Shaik Abdul Aziz. The move follows legal challenges to the earlier board's constitution.
The Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh has dissolved the State Waqf Board that was constituted by the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government. The Minorities Welfare Department issued a Government Order (GO) on Saturday, November 30, withdrawing the GO from October 2023 that established the 11-member board.
The previous government, led by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, had set up the Waqf Board following a directive from the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Three of the 11 members were elected, while the rest were nominated. However, a petition challenging the process of constituting the board led the Andhra Pradesh High Court to stay the election of the board's chairperson on November 1, 2023.
The GO issued by the current government states that the Chief Executive Officer of the State Waqf Board highlighted the prolonged non-functioning of the board and the ongoing legal challenges regarding the legitimacy of the constitution process, news agency IANS reported. This, according to the government, prompted the decision to withdraw the earlier GO and prevent an administrative vacuum.
Minorities Welfare Department Secretary, Kati Harshvardhan, in the new GO, explained that the withdrawal was made after careful consideration of the High Court's observations. The government aimed to ensure the smooth functioning of the Waqf Board and the protection of Waqf properties, while maintaining good governance.
Andhra Govt Committed To Protection, Management Of Waqf Properties: Minister For Minority Welfare
Minister for Minority Welfare N. Md. Farooq added that the coalition government had decided to revoke the earlier GO due to the legal challenges raised in the High Court, which had stayed the election of the chairperson. "The coalition government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is committed to the protection and management of Waqf properties and the welfare of minorities. The government is taking steps in this direction," Farooq stated, as quoted by IANS.
In September, the TDP-led coalition government had appointed TDP leader Shaik Abdul Aziz as the chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board. Abdul Aziz, a former Mayor of Nellore and current TDP president for the Nellore parliamentary constituency, may now take charge of the new board, following the dissolution of the previous one.
This decision follows an ongoing debate over the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, which has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
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