Jamia Nizamia questions Waqf Board’s stand on Raidurg land row

Hyderabad: The dispute over the prime Raidurg land belonging to Jamia Nizamia has taken a fresh turn, with the Telangana Waqf Board’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammed Asadullah’s recent remarks seeking documents from the institution coming under criticism from Jamia Nizamia representatives and raising questions over the Board’s own earlier stand on the property.

Asadullah recently stated that the Waqf Board had written to Jamia Nizamia seeking documents relating to Survey No 83/1 and that the institution had not responded to its communications. The CEO’s remarks have apparently given the impression that the Board lacked the necessary documentation to pursue the case concerning the disputed Raidurg land.

Jamia Nizamia representatives, however, have questioned the need for the institution to furnish documents when the Waqf Board itself is stated to be in possession of the relevant records. Those associated with the institution said that the documents already available with the Waqf Board were sufficient to file its response in the case. They alleged that attempts were being made to shift responsibility for the developments concerning the land onto Jamia Nizamia.

The position is significant in view of the statement made by Waqf Board chairman Syed Azmathullah Hussaini in June, when the Raidurg land issue first came into the spotlight.

Hussaini had then directed officials to examine all documents relating to Jamia Nizamia’s Waqf property and prepare a comprehensive report for submission to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Minority Welfare Department. He had also stated that when the Board possessed the Muntakhab and the property was recorded in the Kitabul Awqaf, there was no scope for doubt regarding its Waqf status.

The chairman’s June position therefore assumes importance in the backdrop of the CEO’s latest explanation that documents were sought from Jamia Nizamia. The institution has questioned why responsibility for producing evidence is being placed on it when the Board’s own records reportedly contain the Muntakhab and the Kitabul Awqaf entry.

The dispute centres on Survey No 83/1 at Raidurg, part of which was subsequently auctioned by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. Jamia Nizamia has maintained that the land is Waqf property and that it had been recognised on the UMEED portal.

The issue has also figured in recent representations seeking protection of Waqf properties, with Raidurg Jamia Nizamia land specifically cited for government intervention.

At the heart of the controversy now is not merely the ownership dispute, but the apparent difference in emphasis between the Board chairman’s earlier assertion about the availability of Waqf records and the CEO’s latest explanation about seeking documents from Jamia Nizamia.