Waqf board case: Tough days ahead for Azam
The role of Azam Khan, who was minister for waqf in the previous SP government, is now under the scanner of the agency.
New Delhi: Tough days are ahead for Samajwadi Party’s former minister in Uttar Pradesh Azam Khan as the CBI is all set to start its probe into the alleged irregularities worth several crores in the functioning of Shia and Sunni Waqf Boards in Uttar Pradesh.
The role of Azam Khan, who was minister for waqf in the previous SP government, is now under the scanner of the agency.
Sources said, “The agency will soon register its case to probe the matter. Immediately after registering a case, the agency will seek all relevant documents from the state government”.
It has been learned that the UP government’s recommendation seeking a CBI probe into the matter has reached the department of personnel and training (DoPT), the nodal body governing the country’s premier investigating agency-CBI.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath recently recommended a probe by the CBI into the alleged irregularities in the functioning of both waqf boards in the state.
There are allegations that Khan made a trust called the Maulana Johar Ali Education Trust and diverted funds from waqf properties to it, sources added.
The scam worth crores have come to the fore in a probe by the Waqf Council of India (WCI).
“The role of the chairman of the Shia Waqf Board, Wasim Rizvi and Azam Khan had come under scanner after the inquiry by the Waqf Council of India. It is also alleged that Khan as minister allegedly misused his position to grab properties under the boards,” they said. The agency will analyse findings of the WCI report during the course of the investigation, sources said.
The WCI report further stated that the top regulating body, UP Sunni Waqf board, has failed to help even a single needy out of three crore 90 lakh Sunni Muslims in the last 12 years.