Kerala govt can resolve Munambam Waqf row by acquiring disputed land, says head of panel formed to find solution
The BJP in Kerala had rallied behind the residents of the land, a majority of them Catholics, during the recent nationwide debate regarding Waqf property in the wake of the Centre bringing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to Parliament.
Justice Nair told a Malayalam TV channel that the “demand of the Munambam residents that revenue rights of their land be restored is genuine”. (Credit: http://www.prc.kerala.gov.in/) 
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The Kerala government can acquire the disputed Munambam land in favour of the present occupants, if required, to solve the land row that has dominated the recent debate around Waqf in the state, the judge heading the judicial commission formed to look into the matter has said.
The Kerala State Waqf Board in 2019 staked claim over the 404 acres of land in Ernakulam district’s Munambam coast, where around 600 mostly Christian families have lived for decades. In November last year, the state government appointed a commission headed by retired High Court judge C N Ramachandran Nair to find a solution to the dispute. The commission is slated to submit its report to the government next week.
Justice Nair told a Malayalam TV channel that the “demand of the Munambam residents that revenue rights of their land be restored is genuine”.
“If they win the cases in the court, the occupants of the land will not require any support from the government,” he said.
However, “in the wake of any judicial decision against the occupants, a consensus between them and the Waqf Board should be the first option. If that does not yield any result, the state government should acquire the particular land as per provisions in the Waqf Act of 1995. The state has every power to take over the land in favour of the present occupants. Whether the board should be given compensation can be decided through discussions,” the retired judge said.
Referring to the urgent demands of the occupants that their revenue rights on land be restored, Justice Nair said: “Everything depends upon the outcome of court proceedings. I hope the Tribunal and the High Court will take decisions on pending issues at the earliest.”
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The BJP in Kerala had rallied behind the residents of the land, a majority of them Catholics, during the recent nationwide debate regarding Waqf property in the wake of the Centre bringing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill to Parliament.
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who visited Munambam after the Bill was passed in Parliament, had said it has provisions to ensure that issues like the Munambam dispute are not repeated. After Parliament passed the Bill, around 50 Christian families in Munambam had joined the BJP, which had seized the issue as another bridge to get closer to the Christian community in Kerala.
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