Srinagar, Apr 5 (KNS): Jammu & Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi on Sunday hailed the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh’s decision declaring the prominent Ziarats of Shah Farid-ud-Din (RA) and Shah Asrar-ud-din (RA) in Kishtwar as Waqf properties, bringing an end to a decades-old dispute over their management and ownership.
In a detailed judgment, Justice Sanjay Dhar ruled that the claim of hereditary ownership by individuals managing the shrines could not be sustained in law. The court observed that the properties, owing to their long-standing religious use, qualify as “Waqf by user”, even in the absence of formal dedication.
Speaking to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) Dr Andrabi said the verdict has defeated “many false narratives spread by people with personal interests” and established the board’s claims regarding the management and ownership of the shrines.
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“The court has reiterated that continuous use of such religious institutions for pious and charitable purposes is sufficient to bring them within the ambit of Waqf law,” she said.
The Waqf Chairperson pointed out that revenue records consistently reflected the shrines as Waqf properties and not of individuals claiming hereditary rights. She also noted that the court emphasised challenges to earlier Waqf laws had become infructuous, as those statutes have since been repealed and replaced by the central Waqf Act 1995.
“This historic decision will pave way as a standard judgement ruling for all other such properties being used as personal properties by a few on hereditary claims,” Dr Andrabi added. (KNS)