Chicago – June 09, 2026
From the 1990s onward, the debate over waqf in India shifted from pure administration to allegations of systematic abuse. Investigations and reports highlighted how unclear titles, poor record‑keeping and political interference allowed encroachments by land mafias, developers, individual mutawallis and even government departments.
In response, Parliament passed the Waqf Act, 1995 and, more recently, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which aims to tighten surveys, change who determines waqf status, and allow appeals to High Courts in waqf disputes.
Hyderabad became a focal point in this national story. Activists and some heirs of the Nizam raised alarms over Pahadi Shareef and nearby waqf lands around Shamshabad, alleging illegal occupation, soil removal and attempts to “regularize” government claims over what they insist are immutable religious endowments. They argue that once land is declared waqf it cannot lawfully be sold or treated as ordinary real estate, making any large‑scale commercial transactions inherently suspect.
In this heated environment, institutions linked to the Alam Khan family—such as Anwar‑ul‑Uloom group colleges and the Nawab Shah Alam Khan Engineering College—came under attack from some lawyers and activists who accused them of effectively privatising community waqf assets.
Advocate Khaja Moizuddin, who took up waqf cases, reportedly filed complaints alleging financial irregularities and misuse of waqf‑managed institutions involving Mehboob Alam Khan and his son, Congress politician Mujahid Alam Khan; these allegations are contested and remain matters for courts and waqf authorities to decide.
The conflict exploded in May 2026, when police arrested Mehboob and Mujahid in connection with Moizuddin’s death in what investigators describe as a planned hit‑and‑run killing linked to waqf disputes.
According to police, the duo allegedly paid intermediaries to arrange the attack after years of committee infighting and formal complaints over waqf finances, claims that the accused are entitled to defend against in court. Whatever the legal outcome, the Alam Khan name—built over a century through land, industry and education—now sits at the heart of India’s fiercest arguments over who truly controls waqf wealth and in whose interest it is used.
