The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has no ownership of the land on which the Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet stands on, said Chief Civic Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath. He invited the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf to submit relevant documents and make a claim before the civic body and get a khata done in its name.
For the past three weeks, the ownership of Idgah Maidan had turned controversial after a few Hindutva organisations sought permission from the BBMP to hold events on the ground.
“Since the BBMP doesn’t have ownership of the land and there is an injunction against the civic body from entering the property, there is no question of the civic body permitting others to hold events on the grounds,” he said.
Explaining the confusion, Mr. Giri Nath explained that the 1974 City Survey records the grounds as a playground and shows the holder of this property as the city corporation.
“Ever since then, the civic body has had possession of the land and in 2006, the corporation also built a building, a public toilet, on that land. Nobody came forward and took objection to either the entry in the city survey, our possession or us building a public toilet there,” explained Mr. Giri Nath.
However, post the recent controversy, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf claimed ownership of the grounds and made public the relevant documents, a 1964 Supreme Court order and a subsequent 1965 Wakf notification, showing the land as a wakf property.
“The Karnataka State Board of Auqaf should have represented themselves during the 1974 City Survey and recorded their ownership of the land, or they could have made the claim anytime later and got the khata transferred in their name, which unfortunately they have not done. Even now, I request the board to come forward, submit relevant documents, make a claim, and get a khata done,” Mr. Giri Nath said.
However, he was quick to add that a khata did not create ownership of the land and only reflected the present possession of the land.
