Munambam: Evicting the existing land owners from the 'disputed' land at Munambam and rehabilitating them was not a practical solution, said Justice (retired) CN Ramachandran Nair, the government-appointed judicial commission investigating the Munambam Waqf land dispute. Talking to Manorama News on Thursday, Justice Nair said the issue can be resolved if the Kerala government acquires the land for the public purpose as per the provisions of the existing Waqf Act.

Nair said the government has no intention of evicting the Munambam residents and is duty-bound to ensure their protection. He also said that rehabilitating the residents was not a practical option. He said the government needs to acquire the land only if the state-appointed Waqf Board and the Farook College, which sold the land to the residents, are unable to resolve the dispute through negotiations. Nair told Manoram News that if the government were to acquire the land, it would have to compensate the Board for its loss. 

Once finalised, the commission's report must be submitted to the Kerala High Court, and its implementation will be subject to judicial orders. The residents, who are mostly Christians, have been protesting against what they say is the Waqf Board's unlawful claim over their land even though they possess the registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.