Dissolve Waqf Board for not submitting audit reports for 17 years : Adv. Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, HVP

Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad (HVP) writes to the State Govt

Mumbai, 22nd March – All temple trusts/shrines under the control of Maharashtra Government submit audit reports on their websites for the respective financial years; but Maharashtra Waqf Board has not submitted such audit reports to the Government in the last 17 years. Unfortunately, even the Government has not bothered to question the Waqf Board in this context. It is a serious matter considering that many complaints have been received in the last few years about Waqf Board grabbing lands in the State. The Government should pay timely attention to this matter, stated a complaint filed by advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, national president of HVP. This information was shared through a press release of HVP about the letter written to State Chief Minister, Devendra Fadanvis, and Minister for Minority Development, Dattatray Bharane. Advocate Ichalkaranjikar has demanded dissolution of the Waqf Board. (Why such demand needs to be made or complaint needs to be filed. The State Administration should on its own quash Waqf Board for not submitting audit reports. – Editor)

Supersede the Waqf Board for failing to submit audit reports for 17 years! – Adv. Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, @ssvirendra Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad, demands action!

🔹 Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad files complaint with the Maharashtra government!

🔹 Clear signs of deep-rooted… pic.twitter.com/5strnfEH2E

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) March 22, 2025

It has been mentioned in the press release that Maharashtra State Waqf Board owns approximately one lakh acres of land. The State Government grants funds to this Board every year. Even funds are provided for their office expenses, fuel charges reimbursement for its office bearers and salaries for its employees from the Government coffers. Under Waqf Board laws, it was made mandatory for the Board to submit yearly audit reports from 1995. The Government should study those rules and issue necessary orders. It has, however, been found through information obtained under RTI that no audit report has been submitted by Waqf Board to the State Government since 2008. On one hand, the temple funds are used for Government schemes while the Government provides money to the Waqf Board every year. How has the Waqf Board accumulated so much land and how there is constant increase in its holdings ? It is now time to get answers to these questions, asserted advocate Ichalkaranjikar.

There is no transparency in the operations of the Waqf Board. There is no scope for corruption if an audit is carried out in respective years. When an audit is submitted for ten years together, there are chances of misappropriations. It is a very serious matter. The Waqf Board may be quashed using the clauses under Waqf Law if it is not following Government’s orders. The Government has that authority. Information about the Supreme Court, status of various cases in different courts, dates of hearings, the concerned Bench, etc., is available on the website. There is, however, no information available about the pending cases on the website of Maharashtra State Waqf Board, pointed out advocate Ichalkaranjikar.

Editorial Perspective

It means the operations of the Waqf Board are totally corrupt. Non-submission of audit report for 17 years is a serious offence; therefore, Waqf Act and Waqf Board should be quashed in the interest of the country.