Telangana Waqf Board meets today over NOC issue

The controversy over issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) to a private party for 4.5 acres of land at Malkajigiri, which is endowed with the TS Wakf Board, reached a new pitch.

A few persons who obtained the certificate met board chairman Mohd Saleem and alleged that they had paid a bribe of Rs 35 lakh to a group of officials to obtain the NoC. Following this, Mr Saleem asked them to appear before the TS Wakf Board and called for a meeting on Monday. 

In May last year, the Wakf Board “issued” the NoC to a private party who using the document reportedly tried to grab the 4.5-acre parcel of land in Malkajgiri. When the news broke, the TS Wakf Board held an emergency meeting and after discussing the issue filed a complaint with the Abid



Road police station on November 25 last year. 

The NoC was issued in the name of the then Wakf Board chief executive officer Mannan Farooqui, who categorically denied issuing it. The Abid Road police who took up the investigation collected the sample signatures of the Mr Farooqui and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis. 

“The reports from the laboratory are still awaited. Only after the reports are received can we take up further action,” said Abid Road inspector A. Gangaram. 

The persons who approached Mr Saleem said they had approached a forensic laboratory and got a positive report on the signatures.