Christian Trust Services challenge constitution of Waqf Board, Munambam entries on UMEED portal

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Kerala High Court by the Assembly of Christian Trust Services (ACTS), challenging the constitution of the Kerala State Waqf Board under the LDF government and its subsequent decision to upload details of the disputed Munambam properties on the Centre's UMEED portal.

The petitioner has contended that the present Waqf Board was illegally constituted as the State government failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of Section 14 of the Waqf Act while appointing its members. It has sought to quash the government orders dated February 4, 2026, appointing nine members to the Board, and March 13, 2026, appointing its chairperson.

According to the PIL, the Board has been "improperly constituted" as the statutory requirement of appointing two non-Muslim members has not been fulfilled. It also alleges that none of the nominated members belongs to the Shia community or other backward Muslim communities, as required under the amended provisions of the Act. The petition further claims there is no representation from the Bohra and Aghakhani communities, that the Mutawalli member was selected without considering the annual income of the waqf concerned, and that the member nominated as an eminent Islamic scholar was appointed without assessing his scholastic qualifications.

The PIL argues that respondents four to eleven were illegally nominated and therefore have no authority to function as members of the Waqf Board. It alleges that the State government's failure to cancel the appointments amounts to a dereliction of duty and has sought a direction to issue a fresh notification constituting the Board in accordance with law within a time frame fixed by the court.

The petition also challenges the Board's decision to upload details of around 404 acres of disputed coastal land in Munambam to the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal.

According to the petitioner, Section 3B of the Waqf Act and Rule 9 of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025, assign the responsibility of uploading waqf details on the UMEED portal exclusively to the Mutawalli of the concerned waqf. However, the Waqf Board allegedly assumed that responsibility and uploaded the details of the Munambam properties.

The PIL states that the Munambam land includes around 404 acres where more than 600 predominantly Latin Catholic Christian and Hindu families face potential displacement. It argues that since the Waqf Board is a quasi-judicial authority responsible for adjudicating disputes relating to waqf properties, an improperly constituted Board cannot be expected to render impartial decisions in matters involving properties occupied by Christians and Hindus.

The petition seeks to set aside the government orders constituting the Board and to direct the State government to reconstitute it in accordance with the law. As an interim relief, ACTS has requested the High Court to suspend the functioning of the present Waqf Board until a legally constituted Board is appointed.

ACTS, a registered religious charitable trust that says it works to protect the interests of Christians in Kerala and has been actively involved in the Munambam land dispute, has filed the PIL through advocate Joseph Joy.

This is the second PIL before the Kerala High Court alleging that the Kerala State Waqf Board is functioning in violation of statutory requirements. In an earlier petition filed by BJP leader Shone George, the High Court had sought the State government's response.