A Thought By ARUN PANNALAL – There’s was a provision that Waqf could claim any property as Waqf property. The onus of proving that its their property lies on the person whose property has been acquired.

I speak with hard facts. In Kerela a 150 year old Cathedral was claimed to be Waqf property. The Bishops spend more time in courts than in the Cathedral

Second is of a senior Christian widow. who was living in her ancestral house for three generations, her sons are in Dubai. She is running from pillar to post. WAQF has claimed it to be their property

Loop hole in the previous Act was that the donated property belonged to Waqf, so they started claiming that Aurangzeb and Jehangir had donated the property to Waqf. That has been plugged, now reads, property donated after independence belongs to Waqf which they are free to manage. Govt intervention will be there for properties donated prior to Independence.

As far as Christian properties are concerned they can be annexed any time. Almost all properties were alloted pre independence. The lease can be cancelled

  1. for non-utilization
  2. for mis-utilisation
  3. non payment of lease amount

Govt cannot interfere in properties purchased/acquired or/gifted, only the leased property will be affected.

Ajit Jogi as CM Chattisgarh had a solution. Frame a new law for Christian properties in Chattisgarh. I was given the responsibility.I WAS TOTALLY STONE WALLED by bishops and Christian laity, to the extent that I was expelled from church membership. I reported it to CM Ajit Jogi. his words were to let them screw themselves up

So let’s stop shedding tears, and call spade a spade. Goodbye