Telangana HC reserves its judgment on Hafeezpet land row

HYDERABAD:  The Telangana High Court, on Monday, reserved its order in batch petitions filed challenging the decision of the Waqf Board in notifying 140 acres of land in survey number 80 at Hafeezpet in Serilingampally as its property. A division bench of the court, comprising Justices MS Ramachandra Rao and T Vinod Kumar, is dealing with the petitions filed by Sai Pawan Estates, PS Parthasarathy, K Praveen Kumar and other individuals, seeking directions to the authorities concerned not to interfere with their possession of the subject land.

The Waqf Board counsel submitted that the Dargah of Hazrath Salar-E-Auliya has an attached Waqf land measuring about 140 acres in the said survey number at Hafeezpet. The Waqfnama was originally created by Muneerunnisa Begum, and executed by her in the year 1955, the counsel said, adding that the said land belongs to the Board.

The State government counsel, meanwhile, contended that the subject land belonged to the State. On the other hand, the petitioners contended that there was no signature on Waqfnama by Muneerunnisa Begum. During the course of the hearing, the bench questioned the Waqf Board as to why it did not register the lands over last few decades, when the Waqfnama was given in the year 1955. The bench then reserved its judgment in the case.