By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh High Court has appointed ex-advocate general D.V. Seetharama Murthy to make a comprehensive report on the allegations that a wakf property was being encroached upon by the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) near the historical Golconda Fort.
A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar has passed this order while dealing with a writ petition filed by heritage conservationist Mohammad Afzal. Afzal had contended that in Survey number 40 of Quila Mohammed Nagar village of Golconda mandal, the ancient Mustafa Khan mosque and a Muslim graveyard are there and the Hyderabad Golf Association is destroying them in the name of laying grass.
All the parties related to the case and the ex-advocate general will visit the site on coming Saturday. This is believed to be a significant move by the A.P high court in the backdrop of the HGA trading charges furiously while some heritage activists being arrested by the police when they were protesting against the HGA in the Golconda fort.
The issue has not only created rifts between heritage activists and HGA, but it even dragged Wakf board into confrontation with the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). When this case came up for admission last year, a bench of A.P high court had directed the Wakf Board to submit a report on the status of mosque and a graveyard in the area acquired by HGA. The Wakf Board conducted a spot survey, inspection and said that huge machines had been deployed, mud was being dumped and a well near the mosque was also being damaged. It submitted a report regarding the activities near the mosque and severely criticized the ASI for their failure to protect two heritage mosques Mustafa Khan and Mullah Khayali and a graveyard adjacent to it. It also taunted the HGA for encroaching upon the wakf land worth nearly Rs.800 crore.
The ASI and the district administration filed separate counter affidavits against the Wakf board report, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI-Hyderabad) and state revenue department. Reports say that roughly 1,650 square meters of land (area of the mosque) was identified as Wakf Board’s share in the Naya Qila, The graveyard, which the board has maintained falls under their purview, was declared as government land. Wakf board was disgruntled by the decision of the joint collector; the board is certain that the actual share of the two mosques and a grave yard is 28 acres and 11 guntas. After the decision of the ASI, Wakf board even threatened to approach the court to make a soil and chemical testing in the whole area allotted to the golf club to find out whether the ancient graveyard land used by the HGA.
The division bench headed by chief justice Madan B. Lokur expressed utter dismay at the contradictory stands taken by three statutory bodies and felt it is necessary to appoint an ex-advocate general to submit a detailed report, it also directed all the parties concerned with the case to present a clear picture to the court and the ex-advocate general.