The hearing on Munambam Waqf land issue in Kerala that came up before the Waqf Tribunal headed by Judge Rajan Thattil in Kozhikode on Friday (November 22), was adjourned to December 6. The appeal was filed by Farook College, Kozhikode, the beneficiary of the reported Waqf deed, against the decision of the Kerala State Waqf Board to enlist the Munambam land as a Waqf property.
Considering the sensitive nature of the case, the judge did not permit the entry of media persons to the court at Eranhipalam in Kozhikode. The State-level Waqf Samrakshana Samiti and the family of Mohammed Siddeeq Sait who earlier owned the 404-acre property at Munambam which was later registered as ‘Muhammad Siddique Sait Waqf’ on September 25, 2019, also decided to move the court with a request to implead them in the case.
The college management continued to stick to its stand that the Munambam property was not a Waqf one but a gift deed made to it by Siddique Sait. The Managing Committee of the College, the Mutawalli (the trustee of a Waqf), had also challenged the registration of the Munambam land as a Waqf property in a separate petition before the tribunal in 2023 .
The Waqf Board had, however, concluded that the property was alienated without its prior permission. It had also argued that the children of Mohammed Siddeeq Sait had also approached the board to repossess the Waqf property.
There were also initiatives on the part of Indian Union Muslim League leaders to hold discussions with the Latin Catholic Church and Munambam Land Protection Committee in Kochi to amicably settle the disputes as it attained communal colours.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also convened a meeting to sort out the issues which gathered communal overtones.
Published – November 22, 2024 01:02 pm IST