New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) The Indraprastha Vishwa Hindu Parishad (I-VHP), the Delhi state unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has saved from the Waqf Board as many as 123 prime land in the national capital, a senior leader of the organisation said here on Monday.
“After a long-drawn legal battle of some 40 years, we have saved 123 such properties valuing around Rs 20,000 crore from the illegal occupation of Delhi Waqf Board (DWB)’, Alok Kumar, the Central working president of VHP said.
Detailing about the case, he said that in and around the year 1910, the Government of India acquired vast properties in Delhi for the new Capital of the country. The acquisition was completed and the properties vested in the Government.
In the late 70s, the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB) notified 123 of the acquired properties, several of them strategically located, as Waqf properties. The Government contested the claim in all the cases.
Strangely, the Government at the instance of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, then Union Minister for Waqf and Housing, decided to gift away these 123 properties to the Delhi Waqf Board on perpetual lease at the rent of Re 1.00 per acre per annum. The Order was passed on 27.03.1984, the VHP leader said.
The Indraprastha Vishva Hindu Parishad challenged the said notification in the High Court of Delhi by W.P.(Civil) 1512 of 1984. The court in the very first hearing granted an ex-parte injunction on the proposed transfers.
According to ALok Kumar , the Writ petition was disposed of by High Court on 12.1.2011 directing the Union of India to have a fresh look at the matter and take a decision within six months. The Court further directed that till then the interim order passed by the High Court on 1.6.1984 would remain in force.
The Government took no decision in the matter.
Surprisingly, the Manmohan Singh Government, instead of examining the matter afresh, withdrew the acquisition proceedings that had been completed more than a 100 years ago. This was done by notification of 05.03.2014, Alok Kumar said. It was pertinent to note that the notification was issued only a few hours before the Election Commission notification for the general elections of the Lok Sabha, he added.
The VHP took up the issue with the Chief Election Commissioner, for violation of the Model Code of Conduct and the IVHP challenged this notification by WP(C) No.2901/2014 in the High Court of Delhi. The Government could not defend its action and made a statement that the Writ Petition filed by Indraprastha Vishva Hindu Parishad would be treated as representation and an appropriate decision will be taken at the earliest.
A two-member committee headed by Justice S. K. Garg (Retd.) was set up to examine the matter. The Committee sent several notices to Delhi Waqf Board. Since the Board did not appear, nor it filed claims, the committee concluded that the DWB claim has not been substantiated.
The Centre has accepted the decision of a two-member committee and thus the said 123 properties continue to vest in the Government and shall not be transferred to DWB, the VHP leader said.
–lANS
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