Uttarakhand: State government to integrate all Waqf assets under wider umbrella of RTI Act

With an aim to access the information about the properties that come under the Waqf Board in Uttarakhand, the state government has decided to bring all Waqf Board properties in the state under the ambit of Right to Information Act (2005).

Waqf Properties in Uttarakhand

This decision is being seen as a significant development as there are more than 2,200 Waqf properties in Uttarakhand worth lakhs of rupees and no information can be obtained on these assets, funds, etc.

Due to the lack of information about it misleading cases have come to light on several occasions. In fact, under the Waqf Act 1995 (which was amended in 2013) these properties come under the control of the Waqf Board which is why public information officers have not been deployed to ensure that the public does not ask for any information.

How did it come under the RTI?

This decision came after the State Information Commissioner (SIC) Yogesh Bhatt directed that all properties under the management of the Waqf Board will be under the RTI and said that they should prepare manuals under Section-IV of the RRI within six months.

He said that a procedure of providing information directly from the Waqf management concerned or the board should be set in place. The Information Commissioner has dispatched copies of the order to the minority’s welfare department and also the general administration department also.

Previous Cases

Earlier Advocate Danish Siddiqui had asked for information about the Kaliyar Dargah from the Waqf Board, but he was informed that the information could not be given since there is no PIO in the Piran Kaliyar Dargah and it is not a statutory body. When the issue came to the fore front or in front of the SIC, Bhatt directed the officers of the Waqf Board to clear things on the issue.

After this, it became clear that all the Waqf properties are under the control of the board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Waqf Board can inspect, examine, or get the documents etc. of any Waqf property. Also, all the Waqf properties came under the control of the government. Following this, orders were also given to bring the management of Piran Kaliyar Dargah under the ambit of the RTI Act. As a result, the PIO was deployed at the Piran Kaliyar Dargah.