A day after a Church-run daily published a scathing editorial against the Kerala Waqf Board over the registration of Munambam land on the Umeed portal, the BJP state unit on Tuesday urged the Union government to revoke the entry. Meanwhile, Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan stated in New Delhi that the registration would be examined.
CM's Stance on Registration
Satheesan said the issue would be handled legally and reiterated that no residents of Munambam would be evicted. However, he termed the timing of the registration, which occurred in the final phase of the previous LDF government, as “mysterious.”
Waqf Board's Defense
Board chairman K. S. Hamza explained that the registration was carried out to fulfill the board's legal responsibility ahead of the May 17 deadline to register all Waqf properties on the portal. He noted that around 59,000 properties across Kerala were included in the portal as part of this exercise, and the Munambam land was added during this process.
BJP's Allegations and Petition
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MLA, described the inclusion of the disputed land in Waqf records as unilateral and unlawful. He submitted a petition to Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, urging urgent intervention to annul the step and restore the land’s earlier status. In his letter, Chandrasekhar pointed out that the board had issued directions to its officers to upload property details even when Mutawallis were unwilling to do so, which he claimed contravenes Section 3B of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act 1995. This section clearly states that only the Mutawalli is competent to upload property details on the Umeed web portal. “The Centre should issue necessary directions to the Kerala Waqf Board under Section 96 and other provisions under the Umeed Act to remove the said properties that have been illegally registered on the Umeed portal,” Chandrasekhar said.
Board Chairman's Clarifications
Hamza told reporters in Kozhikode that the board has no hatred or animosity towards Munambam residents and only sympathizes with them. He emphasized that the issue must be resolved within the framework of law and existing legal technicalities. Hamza alleged that residents had been deceived into purchasing land that was already registered as Waqf property, as they were made to believe the land carried transferable ownership rights.
He also noted that the UDF could not distance itself from the issue, pointing out that the land had been registered as Waqf property in 2019 when Panakkad Rashid Ali Shihab Thangal served as Waqf board chairman. Hamza further stated that more than 500 properties currently involved in legal disputes in various courts were also uploaded on the portal. “But it is not a final document. It is subject to court decisions or government take on the matter. Technically, delay happened because the people who purchased the land should have checked the base documents. They should now get justice, and the Waqf Board should also get justice,” he said.
Previous Government's Role
Replying to a question on whether the previous LDF government had supported the inclusion of the Munambam land in the Umeed portal, Hamsa said it was solely a decision taken by the Waqf Board and that the previous government had no role in it. On demands for the dismissal of the Waqf Board, Hamza said people were free to express their opinions.
