Political Storm Brews Over Munambam Land Dispute in Kerala

BJP's Kerala chief, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, urged the central government to address illegal property listings on the UMEED portal, as a political uproar ensues over the Waqf Board's registration of disputed land in Munambam. The issue highlights a complex legal and political conflict involving local residents, the Waqf Board, and Farook College.

Extending the BJP's full support to the residents of Munambam, the party's Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday urged the Centre to exercise its supervisory powers to remove properties uploaded ''illegally'' on the UMEED portal.

In a post on X, Chandrasekhar said he had submitted a written request to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju in this regard.

He alleged that 404 acres of land in Munambam were registered on the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development portal without following the required legal procedures under the Waqf Act and related rules.

He said that, as per law, only a Mutawalli-a Waqf property trustee-is authorised to upload Waqf property records on the portal, and in this case, the authority rests with Farook College.

However, Chandrasekhar alleged that the Waqf Board went ahead and registered the property unilaterally.

Calling it a serious violation, he said the matter had been formally brought to the attention of the Government of India and urged prompt action, particularly on the removal of the entries from the portal.

He added that the people of Munambam deserve justice and said the BJP would continue to pursue the issue through all legal and administrative channels until it is resolved.

The move came following a political row in Kerala after the Kerala State Waqf Board registered the disputed land in Munambam, where residents are mostly from the Christian community, on the UMEED portal.

State Waqf Board Chairman K S Hamza clarified that the registration of the disputed Munambam land on the Centre's UMEED portal was only part of a technical and legal procedure and would not determine the final ownership of the property.

Hamza also said the registration was carried out as part of a mandatory legal process that had to be completed before May 17, and asserted that any final decision regarding ownership would be subject to government and court decisions.

The Munambam land issue refers to a long-running dispute over 404 acres of land in Munambam, Ernakulam district.

The land was reportedly managed by Farook College and later came under claim by the Waqf Board, which listed it as Waqf property.

Residents argue that the land was not originally Waqf property and that their ownership rights and land titles are being affected by this classification.

Over the years, the issue has led to legal battles, administrative reviews and political controversy, with different sides disagreeing on whether proper legal procedures were followed in declaring and registering the land as Waqf property.