Amid the Waqf Board debate in Parliament, claims surfaced online that an NDA government, under CM Chandrababu Naidu, had abolished the board in Andhra Pradesh. A Government Order (GO 47) withdrawal was misinterpreted as disbandment, sparking controversy
Published Dec 01, 2024 | 5:44 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 01, 2024 | 5:44 PM
As the Waqf debate intensifies, people misinterpret AP's GO 75 as abolishing the board.
As the Waqf Board debate continued to progress in parliament, the internet was overtaken by claims that an NDA partner abolished the board altogether in Andhra Pradesh. Several television channels misreported the issue, lending credence to inaccurate claims.
Giving it the moniker of a ‘surgical strike,’ primetime news and social media claimed that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s regime abolished the board under minorities welfare department.
The ordeal began with a simple Government Order (GO). GO Ms No 75, dated 30 November, carrying the announcement of 2023’s GO 47’s withdrawal by the Minority Welfare Department. However, what could be pegged as a revamp to up efficiency was soon misinterpreted as a complete disbandment.
GO 75 was issued on 30 November by the Minority Welfare Department of Andhra Pradesh to withdraw an earlier GO which instated 11 members to the state Waqf Board in 2023. It cited the High Court orders staying the the appointment of the elected chairperson from November 2023.
It also noted that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board also raised concerns regarding the board’s non-functionality. Additionally, there were 13 writ petitions challenging the legality and validity of the board, raising concerns of an administrative vacuum.
The government announced the withdrawal of GO 47 “in interest of maintaining good governance, protection of Waqf properties, and ensuring a smooth functioning of the Waqf Board (sic.)”
On 21 October 2023, the Minority Welfare Departments announced the constitution of the Waqf board via GO 47. Consisting of 11 members, three were elected while 8 were nominated to the board by the government under the ambit of the 1995 Waqf Act. Under Section 14 (9), the state government is empowered to appoint the board via a notification in the Official Gazette.
South First contacted the CEO of the Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board, L Abdul Khadir. They informed GO 75 was a simple withdrawal of the 2023 Go 19 which constituted the new Waqf Board. “They have dissolved the earlier board following many challenges, including the lack of a chairperson,” they explained. They added that a new board will be continued to replace the earlier non-functional one.
Subsequently, at about 4 pm on 1 December, the Andhra Pradesh Government Fact Check Wing took to its X handle to issue a clarification. Attaching BJP IT wing convener Amit Malviya’s X repost of reportage claiming that the Andhra Pradesh Government struck down the board, it denied the claim.
“The Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board has remained non-functional since March 2023, leading to a period of administrative stagnation,” the clarification read. It cited poor representation of the Sunni and Shia communities, inability to elect a chairperson, lack of transparency in functioning, and the 13 writ petitions challenging its validity as the reason to withdraw GO 47.
“The GoAP (Andhra Pradesh Government) will take appropriate measures to address these defects and constitute a new Waqf Board at the earliest,” the fact check further declared.
The Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board has remained non-functional since March 2023, leading to a period of administrative stagnation. The withdrawal of G.O. Ms. No. 47 became imperative due to several substantive concerns. These include 13 writ petitions challenging its validity, the… https://t.co/0yXCvIdK4q
— FactCheck.AP.Gov.in (@FactCheckAPGov) December 1, 2024
The whole debate around the Waqf Board centres around a proposed amendment to the 1995 bill. Aimed to address numerous concerns, the board has claimed private pieces of land as its own, which led to a political mudslinging match across party lines.
The amendment will mandate registration with the District Collector’s Office to ensure proper evaluation. While the opposition claims that this impedes the Muslim communities’ right to religion, the NDA claims that a majority of the complaints are from the Muslim community.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
