Probe ordered into land dealings of Wakf Board

Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has ordered a judicial probe into the land dealings of the State Wakf Board and he has also promised a probe by the Maharashtra state criminal investigation department (CID) into cases where required.

He was speaking at a discussion initiated by senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on the controversial land dealings of Wakf Board in the legislative council on Tuesday.

It may be recalled that the dealings of the Wakf Board came under a cloud after a media expose on Wakf lands being sold to Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani for his multi-storied residence at Altamont Road in the posh Malbar Hills and the sale of land in Aurangabad to the company in which Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's brother Dilip Deshmukh was the director, without following proper procedures.

The tug of war in the Congress on the issue came out into the open on the issue after minister for Wakf Anis Ahmad blamed Wakf Board Chairman M A Aziz for land irregularities in the House.

While Aziz is considered close to chief minister Deshmukh and Ahmad is considered a staunch supporter of state Congress president Prabha Rau who is heading the anti-Deshmukh faction in the state Congress.

Referring to the report of the committee headed by the senior official in finance ministry I M Quadri imitated by the state government itself, Gadkari pointed out, the Quadri committee itself has indicted the Waqf Board for the misdeeds in land dealings and the recommended probe by the state CID.

However, alleging that an impartial probe is not possible by the CID, Gadkari demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

While replying during a discussion, Deshmukh claimed that the number of orders of the quasi-judicial and judicial authorities are available on the land-ownership at Aurangabad and all have ruled that the land purchased by the company, in which his brother was the director, was not Waqf land.

The Opposition is exaggerating with political motives in mind, he charged. However, he preferred to keep mum on the land deal involving Mukesh Ambani.

Admitting that Wakf lands have been encroached upon on a large scale and they are not being utilised for the purpose they have been donated, Deshmukh said, "The issue is largely civil in nature in which CBI has no expertise so the state government has decided to conduct an inquiry into the status of Wakf land by judicial commission."

This commission will submit its report within six months and it will be tabled in the House.

However in the cases where prima facie it seems, land dealings have been done with mala fide intention to benefit a few individuals, they will be referred to the state CID for the probe.