Heritage dept., Waqf Board lock horns over medieval worship sites

Hyderabad

A jurisdictional dispute is brewing between the Department of Heritage Telangana (DoHT) and the Telangana State Waqf Board (TGWB), with the former writing to the latter seeking the removal of certain medieval Muslim places of worship from the UMEED portal.

The portal, according to the Union government, aims to bring about transparency and better management, but the move has been met with resistance from the Board.

The Department of Heritage has buttressed its claim under Section 3D of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, which renders void any declaration of a protected monument as waqf. Any notification of a property as waqf would not be in force, if it were protected under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904, or the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958.

Both the Department of Heritage and the State Waqf Board confirmed the development.

Legal recourse?

Arjun Rao Kuthadi, Director, Department of Heritage, and Officer on Special Duty Raju told The Hindu over the phone that of the 27 monuments in and around the city, 25 are Muslim. They said a communication had been sent to the Telangana State Waqf Board requesting the removal of such protected monuments from the UMEED portal, where entries had been made. They added that legal recourse would be pursued if required.

However, the Telangana State Waqf Board has opposed the move. CEO Mohammed Asadullah said that the Board had written to the Department of Heritage seeking relevant documentation.

“The Board has asked for documents that we would need — a copy of an agreement between the Mutawalli of these institutions and the Department of Heritage, the GO vetting this agreement, and a gazette notification of the same. After this, we can perhaps consider their request,” Mr. Asadullah said.