Kerala High Court Says Munambam Waqf Declaration Invalid, Backs State Inquiry

The Kerala High Court held that the Kerala Waqf Board’s 2019 decision to declare the Munambam land as waqf was bad in law.

A Division Bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and V.M. Syam Kumar held that the 1950 deed was a gift deed, not a waqf deed.

The Court criticised the Board’s 70-year delay and failure to follow mandatory procedures like surveys or quasi-judicial inquiries before issuing the declaration.

The Court described the move as a “land-grabbing tactic” targeting commercially valuable property, impacting around 600 families, and allowed the State’s appeal but stopped short of quashing the Board’s decision.

[State of Kerala v Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi]