After accusations of illegal property deals by the trustees of Minara Masjid, the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf has approved the appointment of a new board of trustees to take over the management of one of the most important mosques in the city.
The Waqf Board has been investigating allegations of illegal transfers of 83 properties of the trust that violated Waqf law provisions that deal with transfer of properties in Wakf-registered trusts without the board’s permission. The trust has been arguing that while they are a Muslim trust, they are not a Wakf trust. They claimed that the trust is governed by the Bombay Public Trust, not the Waqf Act 1995. The mosque trust said they had challenged their inclusion in the list of Waqf, also spelt Wakf, properties.
Firoz Patni, treasurer in the new seven-member trust, said that the value of properties that were allegedly transferred illegally is around Rs 200 crores. “The old trustees have not kept records,” said Patni who added that the new trustees will take possession of the mosque premises with the help of the police. “We have asked for police protection during the takeover.”
A senior official in the Mumbai district office of the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf, said that members of the Sunni Muslim community had made an application under section 64 of the Waqf law for the removal of the mutawalli (trustees). “That application has been allowed. Later they made an application under section 69 to be allowed to be appointed as trustees. So the old trustees have been removed,” said the official who added that the matter of illegal transfer of properties owned by the trust is still under investigation.
Members of the old board of trustees were not available for a comment whether they have challenged their removal from the board.
