In a historic move, the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment Bill) on 3rd April 2025, with a 288-232 votes, aimed at overhauling the management of Waqf properties across India. Soon after, the bill was also cleared by the Rajya Sabha. While the so-called ‘secular’ opposition parties continue to decry the Waqf Bill as an ‘assault’ on Muslim rights and their religious freedom alongside constitutional values, the bill, in reality, is a long-overdue correction to rein in rampant corruption enabled by the existing Waqf Act 1995.
Emboldened by the unchecked powers bestowed on Waqf Boards by the Congress government in the Waqf Act 1995, a slew of audacious irregularities and acts of corruption, ranging from sprawling land grabs and shadowy encroachments to forging fake land deeds, have been committed by Waqf authorities in various states of India
OpIndia has brought to its readers a compilation of 21 cases exposing a sordid saga of corruption in the name of Waqf. This compilation offers a deep dive into the murky depths of the Waqf scandals that contributed towards pushing the Modi government to reform the laws and strip Waqf Boards of their unwarranted and discriminatory powers.
Misappropriation of ₹4 crore by former Karnataka Waqf Board CEO
In July 2024, the High Grounds Police in Karnataka’s Bengaluru registered an FIR against the former CEO of the Waqf Board, Zulfiqarulla. The case was registered under Sections 403 (criminal misappropriation of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) and 420 (cheating), based on the complaint lodged by Chief Accounts Officer Mir Ahmed Abbas accusing Zulfiqarullah of misappropriating Waqf funds eight years ago.
The complaint stated that the government had taken over the property of the Kalaburagi dargah belonging to the State Waqf Board and paid ₹2.29 crore and another ₹ 1.79 crore from the Muzrai department. The total amount worth ₹4 crore was transferred to the Waqf Board bank account in November 2016. The accused former Waqf Board CEO Zulfigarulla allegedly transferred the money to other accounts between October 2021 and February 2024 in 54 transactions. Names of the Bagalkot Deputy Commissioner and the tourism development committee president also emerged in this case.
Former Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board head and Congress leader Riyaz Khan misused Waqf properties for personal gains
In July 2024, the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board issued a notice to Congress leader Riyaz Khan for the recovery of Rs 7 crore. After the complaint, an FIR was also registered against Riyaz in the Kharakuan police station. Riyaz Khan, who was the head of the Ujjain Waqf Board for around 26 years, was allegedly extorting money from shopkeepers located on the Waqf Board’s land. Khan began as a tea-seller. However, during his time as head of the Waqf Board in Ujjain, he amassed huge wealth, including three bungalows. After corruption allegations were levelled against him, Riyaz Khan went into hiding, and the police placed a ₹5000 bounty on him.
In its notice issued to Congress leader Riyaz Khan for recovery of siphoned funds to the tune of ₹7 crore 11 lakh, the Waqf Board said that Khan siphoned ₹ 7 crore 11 lakh from the year 2006-07 to the year 2022-23. The Waqf Board constituted an inquiry committee on 2 August 2023 to investigate Riyaz’s tenure. The investigation found that 115 shops, 2 school buildings and 5 office rooms were constructed at Madar Gate as Waqf property. Khan collected rent for many years by intimidating shopkeepers, but neither did he inform the board about it nor did he account for the funds he collected. The Congress leader used Waqf property as his private property and earned unauthorized profits from it.
Sunni Central Waqf Board in UP’s Saharanpur earned undeclared income worth ₹7.5 crore from 183 Bigha land
In June 2024, a case of embezzlement of income tax worth crores from 183 bigha Waqf land in Chilkana in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district. Commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod had directed the DM to initiate an investigation into the matter after a complaint was submitted by a local resident, Hakim Ali. Sunni Central Waqf Board has about 183 bighas of land of Waqf number 322, 121 in Firozabad village. Every year, a traditional fair of Dargah Sharif is organized on this land, and there is also a brick kiln on the said land. The complaint letter said that this land generates an annual income of about ₹ 50 lakhs. In 15 years, an accounting income of about ₹ 7.5 crores was earned.
Former Mutawalli sold Waqf land worth ₹20 crores fraudulently in UP’s Kanpur
In the Dalelpurva area under Anwarganj Police Station precinct of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a former Mutawalli Shadab Khan illegally sold the Waqf Board’s 5000 square metre land worth ₹ 20 crores. Khan was in-charge of Waqf property in this area from 2001 to 2024. The District Minority Welfare Officer, Pawan Kumar, lodged an FIR against 10 people, including the former Mutawalli, at the Anwarganj police station in June 2024. The investigation in this case was handed over to the SIT. The team took some documents into its possession. The matter first came to light after the new Mutawalli Mohammad Wasim took charge.
During the investigation, it was found that 1254 sqm of land of Arzi number 1053, 1054 was shown to have been purchased in his name. On this basis, four agreements of 1974.69 sqm land of 89/208 Baby’s Compound, Dalelpurwa and two deeds of 236.138 sqm land were made, and a total of 2210.828 sqm land was sold. Mutawalli Shadab Khan had prepared a proposal to exchange the Dalelpurwa waqf property with a property in Indiranagar and sent it to the Waqf Board.
Waqf Board’s Mutwalli illegally constructed 16 shops on Waqf land and sold them for personal gains in UP’s Amroha
In June 2024, a case of fraud was reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha wherein Anwar Sibtain, the Mutawalli of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board Lucknow, first illegally constructed 16 shops on Waqf land and then sold these shops. This enraged the local Shia community. In this sequence, on May 2nd 2023, the Additional Survey Commissioner Waqf Uttar Pradesh directed the board to investigate the illegal construction and take action.
During the investigation, Anwar Sibtain told in his explanation that he had got the construction done after getting permission from the board, however, he did not attach a copy of any order of the board with the explanation. While a photocopy of a forged letter of the Chief Executive Officer was submitted on 9 May 2023, which is not in the records of the board. After this, the Waqf Board considered the evidence presented by Anwar Sibtain baseless and ordered the District Magistrate and Additional Survey Commissioner, Waqf Amroha, to seal the shops built on the Waqf property. In addition to illegal construction and sale of 16 shops on Waqf land, Anwar Sibtain was also involved in other financial irregularities during his tenure.
Delhi Waqf Board official misappropriated Waqf property worth ₹100 crore
In September 2024, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Delhi Waqf Board Chairman Amanatullah Khan in connection with a money laundering case. An FIR was filed by the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), and in September 2023, the ACB officials arrested him for alleged financial mismanagement and other irregularities within the Delhi Waqf Board.
According to the ACB, the initial FIR in this case was filed in January 2020. It was filed under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They later invoked Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 409 of the IPC.
During the investigation, a witness revealed several issues related to the tenancy of Waqf properties. The witness said that in 2021, he submitted a bid of Rs 30,000 for a Waqf Board shop at Fatehpuri Masjid. His bid was the highest but he was still asked to pay ₹ 10 lakh. He was then instructed to withdraw his bid when he refused to pay Rs 10 lakh for the shop. According to the Investigative Officer in court, Amanatullah Khan subsequently accepted a lower bid of Rs 19,000 from another bidder which led to financial loss for the Delhi Waqf Board.
In another case, the ED has alleged that ₹36 crore was laundered into properties by the AAP leader’s agents. Amanatullah Khan is also facing a case for illegal appointment of members to the Waqf board, causing a loss to the exchequer. Besides, Khan also allegedly siphoned money collected for Delhi Riot victims through the Waqf Board, and bought property in his second wife’s name.
Punjab Waqf Board officer Layak Ahmed caught taking bribe in Bhatinda
In March 2024, Layak Ahmed, Executive Officer, Punjab Wakf Board, posted at Bathinda, was caught red-handed taking a bribe of ₹15000. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau caught the corrupt Wakf Board official after a complaint was filed by one Narinder Singh Monga. The complainant alleged that Layak Ahmed demanded Rs 50,000 as a bribe in lieu of providing land on lease in Bathinda. The accused Waqf Board official agreed to take ₹ 20,000 as advance money alongside two blank cheques from the complainant. The vigilance team laid a trap and caught Layak Ahmed demanding and accepting ₹ 15000 bribe.
Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board official Sadiq Mohammad caught demanding bribe
In January 2023, Vigilance Bureau officials caught Sadiq Mohammad, posted as Estate Officer at the Waqf Board in Shimla, demanding ₹ 1,25,000 as a bribe from a man in exchange for renewal of his lease agreement of a house. The accused was arrested after a case was filed against him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Vigilance Bureau officials revealed that Sadiq Mohammad had already taken ₹25,000 as bribe and was further demanding ₹1 lakh.
Assam Waqf Board officials illegally sold waqf lands
In January 2023, it was reported that the Assam Waqf Board was at the heart of several scams during the years 2021-2022. Ashraf Ali, former president of Assam Goria Moria Yuva Chhatra Parishad Muslim Organization, had filed a case in CM Vigilance, which directed the Waqf Board itself to investigate the matter. Back then, complainant Ashraf Ali had alleged that although an investigation was initiated in the Waqf Board irregularities, no concrete action was taken.
Assam Waqf Board transferred Waqf land to private companies in the Cachar district
Back in 2014, an Assam Waqf Board beneficiary, Ataur Rahman Barlaskar, approached the Guwahati High Court alleging that the state waqf board transferred waqf land to private companies in Cachar district. He alleged that waqf properties as vast as 3000 Bighas which included a tea garden in Barak Valley, were illegally transferred to private housing companies.
As per the data, the Assam Waqf Board’s total worth in 2014 was ₹15,000 crore, and its annual revenue ranged between ₹50,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, however, government records showed that Waqf properties should generate a revenue of at least ₹ 1000 crore annually.
Delhi Waqf Board officials accused of committing irregularities in recruitment and appointment of 33 contractual employees
In the year 2022, the Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended that the Union Home Ministry launch disciplinary proceedings against IAS officer and former Delhi Waqf Board CEO SM Ali for allowing illegal resolutions of the board. The CBI had revealed that Ali executed the “illegal” resolution passed by the board for Mehboob Alam’s appointment as CEO, and also formally handed over the charge to him as his successor. The probe agency had alleged that an advertisement published for the post of CEO was in violation of the Delhi Waqf Act and Rules. This also formed the basis for appointing other staff on a contractual basis. The board not only gave post facto approval to the “illegal” advertisement, but also approved the “illegal” appointment of Alam as its CEO based on that advertisement.
Illegal transfer of Waqf land in Karnataka
According to a report from a committee in Karnataka, 29,000 acres out of a total of 54000 acres of Waqf land were leased for commercial use. This report, presented in 2012, stated that Muslim leaders usurped waqf properties worth ₹ 2.35 lakh crore and used them for commercial purposes. Notably, Waqf is the permanent donation of any movable or immovable property by a Muslim to any purpose recognised by Muslim law as pious, religious, or charitable.
The report stated that the Karnataka Waqf board had been allotted 54,000 acres worth Rs 410 lakh crore with 33,741 registered properties in the state, for religious or charitable purposes, however, the former Waqf Board heads misused assets, encroached, unlawfully disposed of, mismanaged, and indulged in fraudulent actions in Gulbarga, Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Ramanagaram, and Koppal in collusion with senior Congress politicians.
Pune Waqf Board scam worth ₹7.7 crore
In 2021, the Enforcement Directorate arrested two people after conducting raids in Maharashtra’s Pune and Aurangabad in connection with the Pune Waqf Board Scam Case involving an illegal deal of Tabut Inam Endowment Trust worth ₹7.7 crore. The accused duo had submitted forged documents, including an NOC of the Waqf Board and claimed a demand draft of ₹ 7,76,98,250. This amount was deposited in a personal account. In a similar case registered at Bund Police Station in Maharashtra in 2021, Imtiaz Shaikh and Chand Mulani were arrested over accusations of impersonating as the president and secretary of Tabut Inam Endowment Trust and submitting a forged document of the state Waqf Board, showing its consent to their appointment. Consequently, the collector’s office released an amount of money to them instead of the trust members.
₹100 crore Waqf land scam in Aurangabad
In Maharashtra’s Aurangabad, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel, who is currently at the forefront of opposing the now-passed Waqf Amendment Bill, had back in 2021 alleged that Waqf authorities in the city had allowed illegal development and sale of a waqf land on the Jalna Road. It was alleged that illegal transactions in this case were to the tune of ₹ 100 crore.
“In 1964, a firm, Kailash Motors, took one lakh square feet of land facing Jalna road on an 11-year lease. When the issue of giving land on long lease in violation of law cropped up in 1995, the waqf authorities and the then waqf board members and Mutawallis prepared a rent agreement in March 1996,” Jaleel said back then.
Amusingly, the case raised by Imtiaz Jaleel demonstrated that Waqf Board officials are involved in corruption and yet when the Modi government brings a law that essentially curbs this corruption and streamlines the functioning of Waqf Boards, Jaleel’s party vehemently opposes the reform so much so that its supremo Asaduddin Owaisi tears a copy of the Waqf Bill in Lok Sabha. Perhaps, Muslim votes are more important than transparency in Waqf-related matters.
Multi-crore scam in Punjab Waqf Board
Back in 2019, it was reported that IAS officer and Punjab Waqf Board CEO Shaukat Ahmed Pare exposed a massive scam in the state Waqf Board and suspended Kharar’s estate officer Mohammad Rizwan.
This case is from 2015, in which the Waqf Board was to get about 12 crore rupees in exchange for the land given in Kharar NHA. In this case, the court’s decision came against the Waqf Board and the court ordered to give three-fourths of the amount of ₹12 crores to the lessees, whereas on the contrary three three-fourths of the amount was to go to the Waqf Board. Back then, the CEO said that the board received about 6.5 crore rupees through SDM Kharar, and ₹ 3.5 crore was about to be released, but they caught it in time. He added that the Wqf Board suffered huge losses due to this scam.
Conspiracy to appoint non-eligible staff in an MSS Waqf Board-run college in Madurai
In 2019, CBI conducted raids at the residence of AIADMK MP Anwar Raajha’s Ramanathapuram residence, the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board premises in Chennai and the MSS Waqf board-run college in Madurai. The FIR in this case stated that Jamal Mohideen, the then secretary and correspondent of the MSS Waqf board college in Madurai, had criminally conspired with Anwar to appoint non-eligible staff who were without National Eligibility Test or State Level Eligibility Test clearance at the college between October 2017 and November 2018. The accused persons had demanded and accepted illegal payments amounting to ₹ 35 lakhs from non-Muslim and ₹ 30 lakhs from Muslim candidates. During this time, 30 appointments were made.
Mohd Imtiaz, Ziauddin and Wahaj Khan forged NOC for the endowed Telangana Waqf Board land
In December 2018, the Abids Police Station in Telangana’s Hyderabad registered a case after it emerged that a fake No-Objection Certificate (NOC) of 4 acres of Waqf land was issued. The NOC fraudulently obtained by the accused Mohammad Imtiaz, Mohammad Ziauddin, and Mohammad Wahaj Khan declared that Dargah Hazrat Pir Mehmood is not a Waqf property. These accused persons were also involved in two other similar cases pertaining to waqf properties.
Congress leader illegally colonised Waqf land in Bathinda
In 2017, an FIR was registered against Congress councillor Rajesh Kumar Gandhi and four others for the illegal colonisation of the Wakf Board’s 18-acre land in Bathinda. Regarding this case, the district court had said back then, “The defendants are illegally and forcibly raising construction over the suit land without any authority and permission of the plaintiff [Waqf Board].”
West Bengal waqf scam worth ₹1000 Cr under CBI scanner
In 2012, the CBI launched an investigation into an alleged ₹1000 crore West Bengal state Waqf Board fraud. According to State Waqf Board records, the total number of registered waqf properties with the State Waqf Board is 8,160. There are 7352 public Waqf Estates and 808 Aulad Waqf Estates. The panel discovered that nine Waqf estates changed hands between 1980 and 1985, and 117 between 1986 and 1995. 28 were sold, 47 were leased, 21 were exchanged, and 30 were handed over to promoters.
Telangana State Wakf Board misrepresented a portion of the Waqf property to lease it out
In 2016, Telangana State Wakf Board officials Mohammad Asadullah and others were accused of illegally misrepresenting a portion of waqf property as an empty shop in an advertisement inviting bids for the ‘shop’ to be given on lease. The ‘shop’ was a portion in the Waqf Board’s Naal-e-Mubarak ashoorkhana in Pathergatti.
Notably, leasing out a Naqqarkhana is illegal since it would change the nature of waqf, which is prohibited under the Waqf Act of 1995.
Delhi Waqf Board scam worth ₹ 286 crore
In 2016, the Delhi Waqf Board accused its former chairman Chaudhary Mateen Ahmad of leasing 62 bighas of land to a private developer for a meagre annual rent of Rs 15,000, thus causing a huge loss to the board. Back in 2006, Mateen Ahmad entered into an agreement with a private developer and gave away the land in the Narela area for a donation of Rs 1.10 crore and a rent of 25 paise per square yard for an indefinite period. The terms of this agreement, however, were in violation of the Waqf Act (1995).
Conclusion
This compilation of corruption in Waqf Boards is a mere drop in the ocean. There have been numerous reported and unreported scams involving Waqf properties. This rampant corruption has only benefited the privileged Muslim elite. Besides, corruption within Waqf Boards, the unchecked powers handed to them by the Congress government in 1995 have also emboldened Waqf Boards to arbitrarily claim ownership of lands, houses, villages, colleges and nearly anything under the sun. Corruption and political patronage made Waqf Boards unimaginably stronger, all while Muslim appeasing politicians projected Muslims as ‘oppressed minority’.
The abovementioned 21 corruption cases are a stark testament to the rot festering within the Waqf Boards across the country. Several such cases paint a chilling picture of greed masquerading as ‘guardianship’ all in the name of religion. From illegal land grabs, bribes to forged documents, these scams reveal not only the violation of law but a systematic plunder committed by a privileged few, that has thrived in the shadows of an outdated, outrageous and discriminatory law.
As the dust settles on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025, its promise of stricter oversight, digitised records, transparent audits, and increased accountability could significantly curb, if not completely eradicate, this Waqf corruption menace, given its implementation matches its intent.
