Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted the State government six weeks to fill the existing vacancies in the Kerala State Waqf Board.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M recorded Advocate General K Jaju Babu's submission that the government had already initiated steps to fill the vacancies in accordance with the amended Waqf Act.

The court clarified that it was not, at this stage, considering whether the Board needed to be reconstituted for failing to include other members mandated under the amended law.

During the previous hearing, the court had orally observed that there was no order preventing the State government from reconstituting the Board. It had also said that, in the interim, the government could appoint the statutorily mandated non-Muslim members to ensure the Board's functioning.

The court was hearing multiple PILs challenging the composition of the Board, particularly the non-inclusion of non-Muslim members as mandated under the amended Waqf Act.

One of the petitions, filed by Christian charitable organisation Assembly of Christian Trust Services (ACTS), also challenges the uploading of details of the disputed Munambam land on the Centre's UMEED (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development) Portal. The organisation contends that the move affects Hindu and Christian communities living in the area.

ACTS has also challenged the Board's composition for allegedly excluding members from the Shia, Bohra and Aghakhani communities, as required under the law. It has sought a direction to the State government to issue a fresh notification nominating members to the Board in accordance with the amended Act.

The organisation has further challenged the inclusion of the disputed Munambam land on the UMEED Portal, arguing that the Waqf Act empowers only the muttawali to furnish such details.

Another PIL, filed by BJP leader Shone George, seeks the immediate nomination of two non-Muslim members and a declaration that the Board is functioning in violation of Section 14(1) of the Waqf Act, as amended in 2025. The court had earlier sought the government's response and directed it to file an affidavit.

A separate PIL raises similar objections to the Board's composition and also questions the inclusion of CPI(M) politician and former MLA Kunhammed Kutty Master as a member.
(With LiveLaw inputs)