The trust chairman says the sale of defunct sanatorium and a villa in Deolali would fund scholarships for girls
MUMBAI — A dispute over the proposed sale of an old, defunct sanatorium and a villa in Deolali, Nashik, owned by a Mumbai-based charitable trust, has reached the Waqf Tribunal, with the trust chairman and those opposing the sale awaiting a decision.
The controversy centres on the status of a mosque on the property, the trust’s authority to sell the land and whether the proceeds would serve the charitable purposes for which the estate was originally established.
The dispute has also drawn attention after a video circulated on social media showing Ateeq Anwar Agboatwala, chairman of the Hajee Noor Mohammed Hajee Janmohammed Latiff Charities and the property owner, arguing with some local residents near the religious structure.
Advocate Yusuf Iqbal Yusuf, a member of the Halai Memon community and one of those opposing the sale, alleged that the structure was a mosque built around three decades ago. He claimed Agboatwala wanted to sell the property to a builder for Rs 27 crore, below its market value.
“This is a three decade-old mosque on the property which Agboatwala wants to sell to a builder for Rs 27 crore, much less than the market value. I offered him Rs 29 crore, but he refused. If the property is sold to an outsider, the trust’s purpose will be defeated,” Yusuf said.
Agboatwala rejected the allegations and accused Yusuf and other opponents of attempting to turn the property dispute into a communal issue.
“What our opponents could not get by legal means (cases were filed in the Bombay High Court, Charity Commission and Waqf Board), they are trying to achieve through illegal means,” Agboatwala alleged.
He also disputed the claim that the structure was a mosque. Some Deolali residents have reportedly described it as a mosque in an affidavit submitted in connection with the dispute.
“There is no Masjid. It is a prayer room that I built 15 years ago for the sanatorium inmates, and it was supposed to be kept locked (during non-namaz times),” Agboatwala said.
He accused his opponents of using a group of people to intimidate him and disturb law and order.
“They are trying to intimidate me with a mob and disturb the law and order,” he said.
Agboatwala also blamed the sanatorium’s caretaker, Zeeshan Khan, for allegedly instigating some local residents and attempting to communalise the dispute. He accused Khan of misusing the property for political meetings.
When contacted, Khan said his grandfather and father had also served as caretakers of the property. He did not respond to Agboatwala’s other allegations.
Explaining his reasons for wanting to sell the property, Agboatwala said the proceeds would be used to provide educational assistance to girls.
“I want to utilise the money from its sale for scholarships for girls, preferably from the Memon community, studying professional courses,” he said.
The dispute has raised questions among community representatives about the management and future of the charitable estate.
The origins of the trust date back to the estate of Latiff, who died in 1921. Before his death, he appointed his relative Hajee Agboatwala as executor of his estate. Under his will, two-thirds of the property went to Latiff’s children, while the remaining one-third was assigned to Latiff Charities.
Rauf Pathan, a trustee of the Byculla-based Khilafat House, questioned whether the removal of the property’s Waqf registration gave the trustees the authority to sell it.
“If the Waqf Board registered (in 2018) and de-registered it (in 2025), it doesn’t automatically give trustees the license to sell the property which was purchased for charity,” Pathan said.
Congress leader and Bandra resident Asif Farooqui said the dispute reflected wider concerns about the status of Waqf properties and their transfer to private developers.
“This is not an isolated case. I think the community should not waste its energy and resources fighting one individual or trust. We will have to fight the system which has made it so easy for Waqf properties to be made non-Waqf and sold to builders,” Farooqui said.
Agboatwala, meanwhile, cited earlier legal and administrative proceedings in support of his position. He said a writ petition filed by advocate Iqbal Yusuf was dismissed by the Bombay High Court on September 11, 2025.
He also said the Charity Commissioner had granted permission for the sale of the property. According to Agboatwala, the High Court had not issued a stay on the sale, while the Waqf Tribunal’s stay was being extended on a date-to-date basis until it decides the matter.
The Waqf Tribunal’s decision remains awaited, leaving the proposed sale and the competing claims over the property’s religious and charitable status unresolved.
