Andhra Pradesh Government Abolished The State Waqf Board? Here’s The Truth.

A social media post claiming that the Andhra Pradesh Government has abolished the state Waqf Board is going viral. A Facebook post reads, “Chandra Babu & Pawan Kalyan does surgical strike on Waqf Board🔥

Andhra Govt has abolished the Waqf in the state.

Bravo @pawankalyan garu 🔥🔥

The Maharashtra government must do the same 💪

#waqfboard #waqfamendmentbill2024 #pawankalyan #andrapradeshgovernment”

Facebook Link | Archived Link.

Similar posts can be seen here and here. Archived Link.

However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The Andhra Pradesh Government has not abolished the Waqf Board; rather, it has dissolved the existing Board to form a new one. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started our investigation by conducting a relevant keyword search. This led us to a report published in the “Deccan Herald” on 1 December 2024. According to the report, “The Andhra Pradesh government has dissolved the AP State Waqf Board to promote good governance, safeguard Waqf properties, and ensure the board operates efficiently, officials said.

The state government revoked a government order (GO) issued on October 21, 2023, which had elected three members and nominated seven others to the 11-member Waqf Board.

“In the interest of maintaining good governance, protecting Waqf properties, and ensuring the smooth functioning of the Waqf Board, the government hereby withdraws GO MS No. 47 (which constituted the board) with immediate effect,” said K Harshavardhan, secretary to the government, in a Government Order, issued on Saturday. According to the GO, the Chief Executive Officer of the AP State Waqf Board informed the government that the board had been “non-functional for an extended period”, and there were writ petitions “questioning the legality of the order” constituting the board.

The southern state also considered the observations made by the High Court in the writ petitions while arriving at this decision, the GO added.”

Please read here. Archived Link.

Moving forward, we found a report published in “The Times Of India” on 1 December 2024. The AP Government order has been attached to the report.

Please read here. Archived Link.

Similar reports can be read here and here. 

The notification from K Harshvardhan, Secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh, can be read here.

Further, we found a Fact Check of the Andhra Pradesh Government on X refuting the claim. The tweet read, “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 absence of adequate representation from Sunni and Shia scholars, the non-inclusion of former MPs, the appointment of junior advocates without transparent criteria, questions surrounding the eligibility of certain members, and the inability to elect a chairman owing to ongoing litigation. The GoAP will take appropriate measures to address these defects and constitute a new Waqf Board at the earliest.

#FactCheck

#AndhraPradesh”

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

For more clarification, we contacted Adv. Nekibur Zaman, Chairman of North East Hajj Committee, Ex-Chairman of Assam State Wakf Board, Waqf Act is a central act; a state government cannot abolish it. It has a tenure of 5 years, and after the tenure, a new board is formed. There are representatives to form a new board. The Waqf board is an autonomous body. After the tenure, or in the case of an inactive board, the state government can dissolve it to reconstitute a new Waqf board, but cannot abolish it.

For more clarification, we contacted Adv. Nekibur Zaman, Chairman of North East Hajj
Committee, Ex-Chairman of Assam State Wakf Board. He said, “Waqf Act is a central act; a
state government cannot abolish it. It has a tenure of 5 years, and after the tenure, a new
board is formed. There are representatives to form a new board. The Waqf board is an
autonomous body. After the tenure, or in the case of an inactive board, the state government
can dissolve it to reconstitute a new Waqf board, but cannot abolish it”.

This makes it clear that the Andhra Pradesh Government has not abolished the Waqf Board; rather, it has dissolved the existing Board to form a new one.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The Andhra Pradesh Government has not abolished the state Waqf Board. It has dissolved the existing Board to form a new one.