The Allahabad High Court reinstated six members of the Shia Waqf Board on Friday, staying the Uttar Pradesh government’s earlier order unilaterally dissolving the board. This comes as a shocker to the Yogi Adityanath government as the sackings were initiated with the Chief Minister’s approval.

The Lucknow bench reinstated all the members back to their old positions. Shia Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi said, “When advisors are an enemy to the state, then such insulting scenarios are often faced.” He added that if this was the type of probe that the state government conducted, then it was their wrong decision to approach the government.

Earlier on Thursday, the HC had asked the state government to produce the original report under which the Shia Waqf Board members were removed.

The ruling Adityanath government had earlier removed six of the 10 nominated members of Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board on June 16, on the basis of a Central Waqf Council’s report. The report had indicated corruption and irregularities in the Waqf properties.

A vacation bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice SN Agnihotri quashed the order on the grounds that they were not given a hearing, which was mandatory under the Waqf Act 1995.

The court, however, gave liberty to the state government to proceed afresh, in accordance with the law.