Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court today ordered an interim stay of three weeks on the election of chairman of Maharashtra State Board of Wakfs, scheduled for June 20.
The bench comprising Justices P V Hardas and R K Deshpande were hearing a petition filed by Mutawalli of Dargah Hazrat Syed Ahmed Sher Sawar (Jalna), Syed Jameel Ahmed, challenging the appointment of five members of the Board of Wakfs.
The state government issued a circular on September 4, 2008, appointing seven members for the Board, including former MP Hussain Dalvai (Mumbai), legislators Shaikh Rashid (Malegaon) and Durrani Abdul Khan Latif Khan (Pathri, Parbhani), Advocate Mubin Harun Solkar (Mumbai), Abdul Sattar (chairman, Haji Ali Trust Mumbai), Maulana Gulam Vastanvi (chairman, Jamia Islamia, Isha-tul-Ulum, Akkalkuwan, Nandurbar) and Shaheen Syed Quadri (deputy secretary, Minorties Development Department, Mumbai).
However, the petitioner took objection to the appointment of Mr Dalvai, Mr Rashid, Mr Khan, Advocate Solkar and Mr Sattar and filed a petition in the court. The petitioner said the members should be chosen through election. However, in the present case, the members were appointed directly, which is illegal.
The petitioner alleged the five members had favour of former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. The court accepted the request of assistant government pleader K G Patil to provide two weeks time to file an affidavit. The next hearing has been placed on July 8.
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