Now the information about the status of Waqf properties worth billions of rupees in the state, how their income-expenditure and works are being conducted, will now be made public. After the strictness of the Information Commission, Uttarakhand Waqf Board has given orders to bring Waqf properties under the ambit of RTI Act. About 2200 Waqf properties are registered with Uttarakhand Waqf Board.
Under the Waqf Act-1995 (Amended 2013), these are under the control of Uttarakhand Waqf Board, but here the transparent system has always been ignored. For this reason, the management of Waqf properties avoided the deployment of Public Information Officers. After the new order, such arbitrariness will not happen.
Information was sought in July 2022
The issue of avoidance of Waqf properties from the Right to Information Act came to light through the RTI application of advocate Danish Siddiqui, resident of Nagar Panchayat Piran Kaliyar. He had sought information about various works of Piran Kaliyar Dargah from Uttarakhand Waqf Board in July 2022.
In response it was told that there is no public authority in Piran Kaliyar, hence information cannot be given in this regard. When information was not received even from the first departmental appellate officer level, the matter reached the Information Commission.
While hearing the appeal, State Information Commissioner Yogesh Bhatt had sought reply from the Waqf Board officials and asked them to clarify the facts like Waqf Act and control over Waqf properties.
After which it became clear that all the Waqf properties are under the control of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Board can inspect, examine or get the documents etc. of any Waqf property. All Waqf properties were found to be under the government.
Information Commissioner Yogesh Bhatt had also sought answers from the former and present Chief Executive Officer in the matter. In the sequence, orders were also given to bring the management of Piran Kaliyar Dargah under the purview of RTI Act. Now Public Information Officer has been deployed here. Along with this, orders have been issued to implement RTI Act in all other Waqf management also.
The Information Commission has directed that a manual should be prepared under Section 4 of the Right to Information Act within six months. Along with this, he asked to make a legal system for giving information.
