A division bench of the Kerala High Court, on Monday, April 7, stayed a previous order that had admitted a petition challenging the appointment of an Inquiry Commission to look into the Munnambam Waql land dispute. This means the Commission, headed by Justice CN Ramachandran Nair, can now proceed with its work. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had appointed the Commission to look into the rights of nearly 600 families. These families are facing eviction after a property in Munambam was declared Waqf.
The dispute concerns land in Munambam, which originally measured 404.76 acres but has been reduced to around 135.11 acres due to sea erosion.
The division bench admitted the appeals and listed them for hearing from June 16, 2025. “During the pendency of these appeals, the operation and implementation of the judgment dated March 17, 2025, is stayed. The report submitted by the Commission will not be acted upon by the State government without seeking leave of this court in view of these appeals," the court said in its order.
The issue dates back to 1950 when the now disputed land was gifted to the Farook College by one Siddique Sait. However, the land was already home to several people, who continued occupying the land, leading to legal battles between the college and the long-time occupants. Later, the college sold portions of the land to these occupants. These land sales failed to mention that the property was Waqf land. In 2019, the Kerala Waqf Board formally registered the land as its property, making the earlier sales void.
This triggered opposition from residents who faced eviction. An appeal challenging the State Waqf Board's decision to classify the Munambam land as its property was filed before a Waqf Tribunal in Kozhikode. It was the members of the Waqf Samrakshana Samithi who argued that the government had no power to inquire into Waqf properties outside the statute and wanted the Nair Commission to be disbanded.