A fresh controversy has erupted in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, as the state Waqf Board has reasserted its claim over the 115-year-old Udai Pratap College’s land. The dispute, initially raised in 2018, ties into the ongoing debates around the Waqf Amendment Bill.
The Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board contends that the college’s 100-acre property, which includes the Choti Masjid, was designated as Waqf land by the Nawab of Tonk and should fall under its jurisdiction. However, the college administration has dismissed these claims, asserting that the land is part of a charitable endowment under the Charitable Endowment Act of 1890 and cannot be transferred or sold.
In 2018, the Waqf Board issued a formal notice asserting its ownership, but college authorities responded by rejecting the claim. DK Singh, the college principal, stated, “Udai Pratap College, established in 1909, operates under a charitable trust and is entirely independent of any Waqf association.”
The matter subsided for several years until 2022, when the Waqf Board attempted construction at the Choti Masjid, which college officials halted by filing a police complaint. Singh further alleged that the mosque’s electricity was being “illegally tapped” from the college supply, leading to its disconnection.
The claim originally stemmed from a petition by local resident Wasim Ahmed Khan, who passed away in 2022. While no new legal actions have been initiated since his death, the case has regained attention with the Waqf Amendment Bill set to be tabled in Parliament.
