Kerala High Court Defers Munambam Land Dispute Hearing to May 9

The Kerala High Court has postponed to May 9 the hearing on a petition filed by the Kerala State Waqf Board, which challenges the Kozhikode Waqf Tribunal's decision to reject its plea for summoning records from the Paravur Subordinate Court in the Munambam land dispute case.

A division bench comprising Justices Amit Rawal and K.V. Jayakumar issued an interim order restraining the Waqf Tribunal from delivering a final verdict in the ongoing proceedings until May 26. The court, however, clarified that the tribunal may continue with the hearings. The Waqf Board contends that the records from the Paravur court are crucial to the proceedings before the tribunal.

The land in question, originally measuring 404.76 acres in Munambam, was endowed to Farook College in 1950 by philanthropist Muhammad Siddique Sait through a Waqf deed. Over time, due to sea erosion, the land has been reduced to approximately 135.11 acres. The Waqf Board formally registered the land as Waqf property in 2019, declaring previous sales void.

The dispute intensified when the Kerala government appointed a judicial commission in November 2024 to investigate the matter. However, a single-judge bench quashed the appointment, stating that the government lacked the authority to appoint such a commission for matters under the Waqf Act. This decision was later stayed by a division bench, allowing the commission to proceed with its work. Open URL