Gurugram (Haryana) [India], June 6 (ANI): Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Surendra Jain has urged the government to conduct a thorough audit of lands currently under the Waqf Board's control. Highlighting concerns over alleged illegal land encroachments, he emphasised the need for administrative intervention to identify the true owners of these properties and restore them to those rightfully entitled to them.

Speaking to ANI on Friday, VHP's Jain said, 'There is illegal encroachment that they are unable to manage. The government will examine the potential use of the land and determine who the land actually belongs to, such as the poor Muslims... They should not be allowed to retain even an inch of land acquired fraudulently in the name of Waqf. The land should go to its rightful owner.'

Earlier, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had pointed out that a significant number of properties across the country are yet to be formally registered in the official UMEED portal. He cautioned that if the verification process is not executed in a time-bound manner, it would inevitably lead to prolonged ownership disputes and legal proceedings down the line.

To prevent this, Rijiju urged senior officials, state ministers, and representatives of the concerned departments present at the forum to work in tandem with utmost earnestness to resolve the pending registration backlog systematically.

In relation to encroachments on Waqf land, in February, the Delhi High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging a notification issued by the Delhi Waqf Board 46 years ago, in 1980. The notification listed properties declared as waqf by the Board.

The petition, filed by Save India Foundation (Trust), challenged the ownership of three waqf properties located in the Jahangirpuri area of Delhi. The challenge to the said list pertains to Sunni waqf properties, namely Jama Masjid, Jahangirpuri; Moti Masjid; and Masjid Jahangirpuri, all located in Delhi.

While rejecting the plea, the High Court stated that the petition was not filed in the public interest.

The challenge to the said list pertains to Sunni waqf properties, namely Jama Masjid, Jahangirpuri; Moti Masjid; and Masjid Jahangirpuri, all located in Delhi.

While rejecting the plea, the High Court stated that the petition was not filed in the public interest.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay dismissed the petition and said, 'If we carefully examine the facts and circumstances pleaded in the instant case, and the challenge made to the notification after 46 years, we find that the instant petition has not been filed with a bona fide motive or in the public interest.'

Save India Foundation, through its trustee Preet Singh, had challenged the notification dated March 24, 1980, issued by the Delhi Wakf Board, which was published in the Official Gazette of Delhi on April 10, 1980. (ANI)