Muslim leaders of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi on Saturday urged the Union government to withdraw the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Bill stating that it has intended to acquire waqf properties and take away hold of Muslims over the maintenance of waqf properties.
Addressing press persons here B.A. Abdul Nasir Luckystar, president, Dakshina Kannada Waqf Advisory Committee, said that as per the Bill, if no documents are produced within six months after the Bill became an Act such properties will not be considered as waqf. But waqf properties having history of centuries had been given on oral agreements.
He said that now the government appointed a surveyor well versed in Islamic laws and waqf matters to identify a waqf property but as per the Bill the same responsibility will be entrusted with the Deputy Commissioner.
The Bill proposes that waqf board should mandatorily have two non-Muslim members. According to it, the government official to be nominated to the waqf tribunal need not to be a Muslim.
“Law mandates that government officials to be appointed to the managing committees of temples and gurudwaras should be from the respective religions. Then why the same principle can not be applied to waqf properties,” he asked.
The president alleged that the Bill is intended to suppress the rights of Muslims.
He claimed that the Joint Parliamentary Committee constituted to review the Bill had received about 98 lakh petitions in writing opposing the amendments. But the government did not consider them and acted in an autocratic manner by placing the Bill again the Parliament, he alleged.
Taqwa Ahmed Musliyar, Qazi of Dakshina Kannada and Zainul Ulama Mani, Qazi of Udupi district were present.
Published - March 01, 2025 07:27 pm IST
