Mah govt ready for probe in Wakf irregularities

Mumbai, July 17 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said the government was ready to institute a Judicial commission, headed by a retired High Court or district court Judge, to probe all 'irregularities' relating to Wakf property.

Replying to a debate on the issue of Wakf property in which the name of his brother Dilip Deshmukh, MLC and other bigwigs including industrialist Mukesh Ambani had got embroiled, Mr Deshmukh said the government had appointed the Quadri committee to probe irregularities in Wakf properties and the committee had recommended a CID probe in some cases.

Mr Deshmukh said while CID probe would be held in all those cases where it was recommended by the committee, the overall report would be prepared by the Judicial commission.

The discussion on the issue started after three adjournments as the opposition demanded that discussion should be held under article 289, while the chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh allowed the discussion under article 97.

Initiating the discussion, Mr Nitin Gadkari (BJP) alleged large scale irregularities in Wakf land allotments and demanded a CBI probe into the matter as misuse of Wakf property is 'betrayal of muslims'.

However, the whole debate on the Wakf property issue had the angle of an ongoing feud between Wakf Minister Anees Ahmed and chairman of the Wakf board Dr M A Aziz, MLC.

Dr Aziz denied he created an unauthorised office in Mumbai and said the land allotted to industrialist Mukesh Ambani's 'Antilia' or to 'Bharat Nirman' of which Chief Minister's younger brother Dilip was the chairman were not Wakf properties. He said 93 per cent of the Wakf properties are encroached.

Mr Ahmed, in his speech, alleged that when he realised irregularities were going on in Wakf properties, he ordered its inquiry being the Wakf minister. Without mentioning any name, he said he said he was always pressurised for taking the names of big leaders. Dr Aziz is considered close to Mr Deshmukh.

''I have become a minister because of party high command and my community'', thundered the minister and stressed the need for making a law for eviction of encroachers from the Wakf properties.

The Chief minister, in his reply, stressed the need to identify which are the 'Wakf properties' and said many properties which are not belonging to Wakf are considered as Wakf.

He said the land which was taken by ''Bharat Nirman'', of which his brother was the chairman was not a Wakf property.

UNI