LUCKNOW, Jan. 21 -- In a ruling expected to have far-reaching consequences for transparency and oversight of Waqf properties across the state, the State Information Commission (SIC) has held that mutawallis cannot escape accountability by claiming they are not public authorities and are legally bound to disclose the use, income and purpose of Waqf assets. State information commissioner Mohammad Nadeem, while deciding an appeal related to a Waqf property in Farrukhabad, ruled that although mutawallis may not fall within the definition of a "public authority" under the Right to Information Act, this does not absolve them of the obligation to account for the utilisation of Waqf properties or the income generated from them. "Mutawallis may not be public authorities, but they cannot be exempted from accountability for the use, income and objectives of Waqf properties," the Commission observed, adding that attempts to shield such information violate the spirit of the RTI Act. The order was passed on a petition filed by Parminder Kaur, who had sought information from the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on whether a waqf property had been permitted to house a liquor shop, the rent being earned from it, and whether the income was reflected in statutory budgets and accounts.htc...