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Four years in hell: Munambam residents rush to claim back legal rights as Kerala HC removes waqf cloud

KOCHI: For the people of Munambam, the past four years were nothing short of a waking nightmare. Life turned upside down in 2019 when, without warning, the Kerala Waqf Board formally registered their land as waqf property. The move went unnoticed for months. COVID lockdowns muted all government transactions. People continued living in their homes, unaware that the ground beneath them had quietly been marked as someone elses. Then came 2021 the year the earth slipped from under their feet. When some residents walked into village offices to pay their routine land tax, they were turned away. The message was blunt, almost surreal: This is not your land. It is waqf property. Everything came to a stop for us. We have been living in hell, says 51-year-old Laiji Antony. It felt like our homes built with our lifes savings were slipping away. Without revenue rights, residents couldnt pay land tax, couldnt pledge property for loans, couldnt even dream of selling or legally transferring land. A brief flicker of relief came in 2022 when a single bench of the High Court allowed residents to resume paying taxes. But the joy evaporated overnight. The order was stayed immediately after an appeal by the Kerala Waqf Protection Forum. By 2023, the legal battlefield expanded. Farook College management challenged the Waqf Boards registration before the Waqf Tribunal. Residents who had purchased land from the college filed petitions in the High Court seeking restoration of tax payment rights. The Munambam Land Protection Council, representing the families, took the fight to the court and to the streets. Helpless but unyielding, they launched a relay hunger strike in October 2024 at the Kadappuram Velankanni Matha Church. The agitation entered the 410th day on Wednesday, says 60-year-old Shiny Martin. That faith thickened into hope on October 9, 2025, when the Kerala High Court ruled that the Munambam land was not waqf property. That was the first ray of light, Shiny says. A sign from the Almighty. On Wednesday, the High Court granted temporary restoration of revenue rights. Taxes could finally be paid. Lives could begin to move again. We are leaving the agitation pandal, our home for the past 410 days, with happiness, says 92-year-old Mary. Now, Munambam waits for one last milestone the final verdict. After four years of fear, they finally dare to believe the nightmare may truly be ending. TIMELINE 1962: Local residents file case in Paravur Sub Court challenging Farook Colleges ownership 1967: O.S. No. 53/1967 filed in Paravur Subordinate Judges Court questioning waqf status 1971: Court rules in favour of Farook College 1975: Kerala High Court upholds ruling; land treated as waqf property at the time 2008: Complaint by Nassir Manayil alleging encroachment triggers Waqf Board inquiry 2019: Waqf Board registers property as waqf land (Sept 25); move later challenged 2022: HC Single Bench briefly allows residents to pay property tax; order stayed on appeal 2023: Farook College files two petitions before Waqf Tribunal against Waqf Boards registration 2023: Residents file HC petitions seeking acceptance of land tax Oct 10, 2025: HC rules Munambam land is not waqf property Nov 26, 2025: HC single bench grants temporary revenue rights pending final verdict