PRAYAGRAJ, May 31 -- The Allahabad high court has expressed surprise on the actions of the Waqf Madrasa Qasimul Uloom encroaching on land in Saharanpur belonging to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), creating construction on the same, sub-letting it and charging rent on the property. The court called it a classic case of encroachment being claimed as Waqf. Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal dismissed the petition filed by the Waqf, noting that the petitioner had encroached on the land owned by NHAI, and madrasa, masjid (mosque) and certain other constructions were raised on the property which was being claimed to be a 'waqf'. The petitioner had sought a permanent prohibitory injunction restraining the respondent authorities from demolishing the property in dispute and making new construction over the same. The petitioner pleaded that a madrasa, masjid and police chowki (outpost) existed on the land. Regarding the petitioner's claim that the land was a waqf property, the defendants pleaded that the same was not registered as a waqf with the Waqf Board. The defendants filed an amendment application which was allowed by the trial court. Against this, the petitioner preferred a revision which was dismissed. Thereafter, the petitioner approached the high court on the ground that the amendment could not be allowed as a new case was being set up by the defendants. The court said that the petitioner-plaintiff had not at any stage shown the registration of the waqf and how the suit property was a waqf under the Waqf Act, 1995. Holding that the property belonged to NHAI, the high court dismissed the petition against the order of the trial court allowing the amendment application. The order dated May 12 came into prominence on Friday....