Karnataka's Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, HK Patil, on Monday, October 28 announced that the notices designating 1,500 acres of land in Vijayapura district’s Honavada as Waqf properties will be withdrawn. The minister said that the government had no intention of converting agricultural lands into Waqf properties.
“Notices issued due to this mistake will be withdrawn. The Deputy Commissioner will lead an inquiry to understand why the error occurred, after which appropriate action will be decided,” Patil said.
This comes after Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya met Vijayapura farmers, where he accused the Waqf board of acquiring 1,500 acres of land belonging to farmers. The farmers alleged that they were served notice soon after Housing and Waqf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan visited Vijayapura and directed the Deputy Commissioner to serve notices to the farmers who were sitting on Waqf land.
Meanwhile, Industries Minister M B Patil, who is in-charge of Vijayapura, said that the error cropped up due to a 1974 gazette notification. The Waqf Board corrected in 1977 by removing ‘Honavada’ from the records, he added. The 1974 notification designated 10 acres and 14 guntas of land for a burial ground, with an additional 24 guntas housing an Idgah and a mosque as Waqf property.
He assured that a task force would address the matter. Patil said that if the BJP aims to continue the controversy for political reasons, it would be inappropriate. Responding to demands for Waqf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan’s resignation, he argued that accountability for errors lies with local officials, not the minister.
District Commissioner T Bhoobalan reassured farmers in Honavada, saying that no private land had been transferred to the Waqf Board and that farmers retain full rights over their properties. He said that the 1974 Waqf Board gazette notification provided a list of properties for updating revenue records, a process that includes verifying ownership. Notices were issued to property owners as part of the standard Waqf property update procedure, but this did not affect their ownership rights. Bhoobalan said that there has been no change to property rights and urged farmers not to be alarmed by unfounded rumours of a 1,500-acre land transfer in Honavada village, Tikota taluk.