J&K Waqf Board, the premier organization that handles the affairs of Muslim religious shrines and properties in the State has come under severe censure of the State Information Commission. It has failed to upload full details of its functioning, administration and financial data on its website as was desired by the Information Commission. Invoking the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Commission has asked the Vice Chairman of the Board to explain a number of questions which smack of irregularity, incompetence and favouritism in the organization. In particular, the Commission has expressed its concerns about transparency and accountability of the Waqf Board. In a letter of July 2012, Waqf Board Vice-Chairman was asked to comply with Section 4(1) (b) of J&K State RTI Act, 2009 for being public authority of J&K Muslim Specified Waqfs and Specified Waqf Properties. The Commission thinks the Board has not discharged its duties in accordance with the provisions of the Act. A probe panel examined the records of the Board and submitted its report but the report has not been uploaded within the specified period of three months. There are serious charges of mismanagement, financial irregularities and administrative lapses and the Information Commission wants that transparency and accountability should have been enforced.
We believe that Waqf is a very important and influential social organization and the custodian of the sacred trust of the people. We are not going to sit on judgment in regard to its functioning. But as a public organization, people would like it to be transparent and accountable because it is the public property which it manages. We also believe that the Board should pay attention to raising productive social institutions like schools, hospitals, polyclinics, skill imparting institutes etc. to diversify its activities and contribute to the welfare of the people.
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