Kochi: In a significant setback to the Kerala government, the High Court has quashed the State’s decision to appoint a judicial commission to investigate the Munambam Waqf land dispute. The verdict was delivered by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas while allowing a petition filed by the Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi.
The court observed that a judicial body had already declared the land as Waqf property, and the matter was under the consideration of the Waqf Tribunal. Therefore, any external intervention was not permissible. The State government’s move to appoint a judicial commission without legal scrutiny was criticized as an arbitrary decision.
The commission was headed by retired High Court judge Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair. However, the High Court ruled that the State government lacked the authority to appoint a commission for fact-finding when civil courts and the High Court had already determined that the land belonged to Waqf. The ruling reinforced that the Waqf Board and Waqf Tribunal are the final authorities in matters related to Waqf properties.
