A number of cases involving the illegal encroachment, usurping claims of Waqf Boards are on the rise with one more coming to light recently wherein a UP college land, spanning over 100 acres, has been claimed by the state Waqf Board.
Incidentally, the UP Waqf Board has now claimed ownership of the Udai Pratap College, situated in Varanasi which is strikingly a 115-year-old educational institution.
In fact, the claim was originally made in 2018 and it has resurfaced amid the ongoing debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was slated to be presented in Parliament during the on-going winter session of parliament and has reportedly been deferred following the extenstion to the Parliamentary Committee discussing Waqf Amendment Bill.
According to reports, Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board asserted that the college land is Waqf property which is linked to a historical mosque within the campus.
Also Read: High Court junks Waqf board’s plea, orders the installation of Rani Lakshmibai statue
However, the college administration has strongly refuted this, saying that the land belongs to a charitable endowment and cannot be transferred or sold.
In December 2018, the Waqf Board sent a notice to the college, claiming that the ‘Choti Masjid’ and the associated property within the college were endowed to Waqf by the Nawab of Tonk, and therefore should come under the board’s control.
Responding to the notice at the time, the college authorities stated that Udai Pratap College was established in 1909 under the Charitable Endowment Act, and rejected the Waqf Board’s claims.
The college management has said that no further move was made by the board for years after their reply.
However, there was an attempt by the Waqf Board to carry out construction at the mosque in 2022, which was halted by the police following a complaint from the college.
The college principal also revealed that the electricity supply to the shrine was cut off because the power being used there was “illegally stolen” from the college.
