New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea against the appointment of Delhi government’s principal secretary (home) Ashwani Kumar as the Delhi Waqf Board administrator on January 10.
The matter came up before a bench comprising justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal. The bench told the petitioner to move the Delhi High Court.
The plea has been filed by one Zameer Ahmad Jumlana. The plea sought directions to restrain and prohibit Kumar from discharging functions as the administrator of the Delhi Waqf Board and to vacate the office with immediate effect.
The petition alleged the term of the Delhi State Waqf Board expired on August 26, 2023, and since then no board was constituted.
The plea contended in the absence of the board, its powers were taken over by the LG by appointing Kumar purportedly using the powers under Section 99 of the Waqf Act, 1995.
Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena, who approved Kumar's appointment, also okayed the appointment of IAS officer Azimul Haque as Delhi Waqf Board's CEO on January 3.
The Delhi High Court, in May, last year, had junked a similar plea filed by one Yasmin Ali and imposed Rs 10,000 costs. The high court said the plea was publicity-oriented and an abuse of the process of law as it did not give any valid reasons for quashing the appointment of the city government officer as the administrator of the board.
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