Telangana Heritage Dept Flags Waqf Claims on Monuments

Hyderabad: The state heritage department has urged the Waqf Board to delete all entries related to protected monuments and heritage sites from the Umeed portal, Waqf Gazette and Munthakhab, stating that such declarations are void under the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025.

In November, the Waqf Board had sought details of Waqf properties declared as protected monuments, along with copies of government orders and agreements between custodians. Responding on Thursday, the heritage department clarified that no monuments under its control were declared as Waqf and that all were protected under the Ancient Monument Preservation Act, 1904, during the Hyderabad state era.

A senior official said the monuments have remained under the department since the Nizam government and no agreements exist with the Waqf Board.

Meanwhile, Mir Abbas Ali Moosvi, hereditary mutawalli of the Badshahi Ashoorkhana, said the monument was wrongly listed as Waqf property. He noted that even under the Waqf Act, 2025, declaring a protected monument or area as Waqf is void. He said the matter has been taken up with the Union minority affairs ministry and the Central Waqf Council, and legal action may follow.

The heritage department said it would discuss the issue with the Waqf Board. Around 25 properties, including the Qutub Shahi tombs, Paigah tombs and Saidanima tomb, are currently listed as Waqf in the Gazette. Officials stressed that no protected monument or heritage site can be claimed or maintained as Waqf property, and such entries must be removed to avoid disputes and public confusion.