Telangana High Court Issues Notices To State Minority Welfare Department, Waqf Board On Plea Against Govt Funds To Tablighi Jamaat

The Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the State's Chief Secretary, State Minority Welfare Department, Waqf Board and the District Collector of Vikharabad on a petition challenging allocation of Rs. 2.45 crore government funds to the Tablighi Jamaat for holding a State-wide Ijtema in Vikharabad.

The Islamic congregation is scheduled from January 6th to 8th.

The petitioner has contended that the Tablighi Jamaat is a private NGO and the State allocating funds to it for holding an ijtema would not only be illegal, arbitrary, and violative of Articles 19, 25, and 27 of the Constitution but also grossly violative of the Waqf Act.

The petitioner also cited before the bench of Justice Nagesh Bheemakapa, instances of communal violence that allegedly broke out at previous such gatherings.

The matter is now posted on the 23rd of this month.

The State Minority Welfare Department in October had directed the Waqf Board to release the funds for the ijtema through the G.O.No.123 of 2023.

According to the G.O., the sanction is for providing certain works of the public requirement that include laying of pipelines from ponds to utility areas, setting up of roads and parking areas, providing water and constructing sumps, for providing electricity transformers for uninterrupted power supply and sanction maintenance with workers, tractors, trolleys, dislodging vehicles, etc.

Case no.: WP 35170/2023

Counsel for petitioner: Gummalla Bhaskar Reddy

Counsel for respondents: GP for Social Welfare