Mohsin Raza urges CM Yogi for probe, seeks special audit of Waqf scam
Lucknow, August 12: Former minister Mohsin Raza met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Chief Minister’s residence on Wednesday and demanded cognizance of the widespread scams and irregularities within Waqf Boards.
He stated that currently, only 127,000 registered Waqf Boards remain, compared to over two lakh in the past. He stated that during the previous regimes (Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Congress regimes), the Waqf Board was not properly audited, and the accounts of millions of properties remained unclear.
Mohsin Raza welcomed the Waqf Amendment Act 2025 passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that this legislation is necessary to bring transparency to Waqf properties, ensure their protection, and ensure their proper use. He also stressed that the time has come for a prompt and impartial investigation to determine the true status of Waqf properties.
Raza demanded the formation of a district-wise Special Investigation Team (SIT) to verify all Waqf properties of both the Shia and Sunni Waqf Boards. He called for a district-wise special audit, physical inspection, and record-checking to prepare a complete list of registered and actual properties. Swift and stringent legal action should be taken against properties found to be tampered with, fraudulently transferred, illegally leased, or subject to change of ownership, ensuring the recovery and restoration of the properties. Waqf by-user disputes should also be resolved. A transparent investigation of the guilty individuals, institutions, Mutawallis, influential religious leaders, or politically protected groups should be conducted and a public report should be submitted.
Waqf properties should be freed from illegal encroachments and authentic policies should be adopted for their development so that the truly needy, marginalized, and oppressed members of minority communities can directly benefit. District-wise committees should be formed at the state level to launch a comprehensive monitoring, audit, and recovery campaign to restore transparency, accountability, and public confidence.
Raza urged the Chief Minister to take high-level, impartial, and prompt action in this matter, in keeping with his anti-corruption and zero-tolerance policy. He noted that given the sensitivity of the issue and public interest, an SIT investigation and special audit should be initiated immediately and a decision should be taken in the public interest.
