Allahabad HC sets aside extension of Sunni Waqf Board term

Prayagraj, Jan 26 : The Allahabad High Court has set aside the state government order dated September 30, 2020, whereby the tenure of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board was extended for six months.
While setting aside the extension of tenure, the court appointed principal secretary, department of minority welfare and waqf as an administrator of the Board to manage day-to-day affairs of the Board.
However, the administrator will not be eligible to take any policy decision relating to the Board and will ensure holding of the elections and give charge to an elected Board on or before February 28, 2021.
Disposing of a writ petition filed by Wasim Uddin and Allamah Zameer Naqvi and another on Monday , a division bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery observed, “We failed to understand as to why the respondents did not choose to hold timely elections. Elections for a democratically elected body are essential for application of democratic values and working of the institution accordingly. Such functioning should have not been compromised at any cost. Election of such body could be deferred only in most emergent and extraordinary circumstances.” The petitioners had challenged the validity of orders dated July 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020, passed by principal secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, department of minority welfare and Waqf.
Through the orders, the state government had extended the term of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board after it expired on April 1, 2020, citing the reason of Covid-19 pandemic.