Taj Mahal Declared a Waqf Property
After much controversy and various claims to ownership, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board declared the Taj Mahal a Waqf property, a claim that will be challenged by the Archaeological Survey of India. Waqf Board chairman Hafiz Usman, acting on instructions from the Allahabad High Court, declared the Taj Mahal and its connected mosques and tombs “Waqf property” and called for them to be registed as such. The ASI said the decision was “not in the interest of the Taj” and would challenge it as soon as possible. Usman noted that the management of the Taj Mahal would be announced at a later, unspecified date.