The residents of Munambam, who had been on a relay hunger strike for 173 days under the banner of 'Munambam Bhoo Samrakshana Samithi,' celebrate after the Lok Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill the previous night, in Kochi, Thursday, April 3, 2025.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst the uncertainties over the scope of the amended Waqf laws in addressing the property ownership issue of 610 families of Munambam near Kochi in Kerala, the Kerala Waqf Tribunal on Monday decided to implead the residents in the ongoing hearing on the matter.
The move gives fresh hope to the aggrieved residents, who have been on a stir for the last 177 days.
"Since our version on the matter has not been heard by the Waqf board so far, the tribunal could hopefully refer the matter to the Waqf board to hear the versions of the residents. In that case, the matter could come up before the new Waqf board to be constituted as per the amended Waqf law. That gives us hope that our concerns would be reasonably addressed, as our pleas regarding the ownership of the land are genuine," Munambam Bhoo Samrakshana Samathi (Munambam Land Protection Forum) leader Joseph Benny told DH.
Meanwhile, a division bench of the Kerala High Court stayed an order quashing the Kerala government's decision to form a commission headed by former High Court judge Justice C N Ramachandran to look into the Munambam issue and find a solution.
Benny said that the judicial commission might be able to make legal interpretations of the amended law and find solutions to their issue.
While the BJP claims that the amendments in the Waqf law could bring a solution to the problem of the Munambam residents, opposition parties like the Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, and CPM maintain that it would not bring relief, especially since the amendments do not have retrospective effect.
The Kozhikode-based Farook College management had sold the land that was donated by trader Siddique Sait in 1950. The Waqf board's claim is that it was donated as Waqf, while the college management maintains that it was donated as a gift.