Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Monday directed the State Wakf Board to furnish the list of graveyards in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy. The court also directed the board to discover the encroachments on it.
While hearing two petitions under Public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Khaja BIlal Ahmed and Mohammed Ilyas, a bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Vijay Sen Reddy asked the Wakf Board to submit a detailed report about the number of Muslim graveyards and to find out any encroachments on the over it.
Mohammed Ilyas had filed petition before HC seeking framing of rules regulation or guidelines to preserve maintain and protect the Muslim graveyards in the state of Telangana. The petitioner had also contended that Wakf Board is not taking any steps to protect the lands allotted for the Muslim graveyards from the illegal encroachments and land grabbers.
He also pleaded court pass directions for conducting a survey to identify the present land remained and utilized for the Muslim graveyards in the state of Telangana and protect the same from illegal encroachments.
After hearing the plea, the court observed that why there is no system, rules and regulation for a dead person to be buried. Why did the Minority commission not make efforts in this regard. The court has also enquired does there is any provision in Wakf act for initiating penal action against erring Mutavallis who do not allow burial of the Muslim dead bodies. How could anyone grab the land of a graveyard which is a holy one.
Standing counsel for Wakf Board Mirza Safiullah Baig informed the court that there is a provision in the wakf act and a report will be filed with the court in the next hearing.