04-12-2005, 09:04 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>High Court slaps contempt notice on Wakf Board </b>
Staff Reporter/ New Delhi
The Delhi High Court has issued a contempt notice to the Central Wakf Council and the Delhi Wakf Board for not complying with<b> its earlier order to regulate offerings by devotees at the capital's Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia shrine</b>.
The notices were issued on the basis of a petition filed by a voluntary agency, "Hum Aap Ke", which suggested that the Wakf Board and the Central Wakf Council had failed to "ensure proper use of the offerings at the shrine" as ordered by the High Court in November 2004.
Justice S Ravindra Bhat issued the notice to Central Wakf Council officer on special duty Ghaziul Islam, Delhi Wakf Board (DWB) chairman Mateen Ahmad and chief executive officer FO Hashmi to file a reply by the next date of hearing on April 19.
Chief Justice BC Patel and Justice BD Ahmed on November 20, 2004 had directed that<b> "it was required to be noted that it was the duty of the Wakf commissioner and survey commissioner to see that no third party collects any offerings and that all the money received is accounted for".</b>
Mr Tahir Siddiqui, advocate for the petitioner, said the daily offerings at the dargah amounted to Rs 10,000 on an average, next to the Hazrat Khawaja Garib Nawaz of Ajmer.
But <b>the board did not take any step to help the poor with the money collected in compliance with the rules enshrined in the Wakf Act, 1995</b>, the petition contended.
Though the DWB authorities had received copies of the order, it could not comply with<b> the directives because of the pressure mounted by over 500 "pirzadas (godmen)", </b>the petition said. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Staff Reporter/ New Delhi
The Delhi High Court has issued a contempt notice to the Central Wakf Council and the Delhi Wakf Board for not complying with<b> its earlier order to regulate offerings by devotees at the capital's Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia shrine</b>.
The notices were issued on the basis of a petition filed by a voluntary agency, "Hum Aap Ke", which suggested that the Wakf Board and the Central Wakf Council had failed to "ensure proper use of the offerings at the shrine" as ordered by the High Court in November 2004.
Justice S Ravindra Bhat issued the notice to Central Wakf Council officer on special duty Ghaziul Islam, Delhi Wakf Board (DWB) chairman Mateen Ahmad and chief executive officer FO Hashmi to file a reply by the next date of hearing on April 19.
Chief Justice BC Patel and Justice BD Ahmed on November 20, 2004 had directed that<b> "it was required to be noted that it was the duty of the Wakf commissioner and survey commissioner to see that no third party collects any offerings and that all the money received is accounted for".</b>
Mr Tahir Siddiqui, advocate for the petitioner, said the daily offerings at the dargah amounted to Rs 10,000 on an average, next to the Hazrat Khawaja Garib Nawaz of Ajmer.
But <b>the board did not take any step to help the poor with the money collected in compliance with the rules enshrined in the Wakf Act, 1995</b>, the petition contended.
Though the DWB authorities had received copies of the order, it could not comply with<b> the directives because of the pressure mounted by over 500 "pirzadas (godmen)", </b>the petition said. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->