Aam Admi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan has been removed from the post of the Chairman of the Waqf Board after the legislative assembly was dissolved in February, said the Delhi government’s revenue department.
The office of the principle secretary (revenue) stated in a letter on Friday that Khan ceased to be a member and chairman of the Board with the dissolution of the assembly on February 11, as per Section 14(1) of Waqf Act, 1995.
Khan as an MLA was nominated to the seven-membered Waqf Board and subsequently unanimously elected as its chairman in September 2018.
Khan was re-elected from from Okhla constituency during the 7th Assembly elections. He defeated Braham Singh of BJP by a record margin of 71, 827 votes in the recent assembly election of Delhi state from Okhla constituency under which falls Shaheen Bagh and Jamia areas which were in the limelight during the election for their anti CAA protests.
A senior Delhi government officer denied that Khan was removed from his post and added that the panel is to be reconstituted by the new government.
Khan had been actively leading the Waqf Board in welfare activities including relief and rehabilitation of the victims of the northeast Delhi riots.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court on February 28, had issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government on a plea seeking registration of FIR against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan among others on charge of delivering hate speeches.
A Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel had sought responses from the central and Delhi governments apart from Delhi Police on a petition filed by Lawyers Voice.
The plea also sought a case against AAP’s Manish Sisodia and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leaders Akbaruddin Owaisi and Waris Pathan, and lawyer Mehmood Paracha.
The bench also heard an application filed by advocate Sanjiv Kumar for a National Investigation Agency probe into the Delhi violence and registration of a case against Mander, actress Swara Bhaskar, AAP leader Amanatullah Khan and Radio Jockey Sayema.
The matter will again be heard on April 13.
Several pleas relating to hate speeches by certain political leaders were moved in the High Court. It was claimed that the speeches had led to communal tensions and resulted in the death of many persons in northeast Delhi.
Violence had erupted between the supporters and opponents of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in northeast Delhi’s Jaffrabad, Maujpur and Gokulpuri areas since Sunday. At least 42 persons were killed and over 200 injured in the unprecedented violence.