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Kerala HC temporarily restores revenue rights to Munambam residents after 410-day agitation

KOCHI: In a major relief to the residents of Munambam, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted temporary restoration of their revenue rights, ending more than 410 days of uncertainty and agitation. A single bench of Justice C Jayachandran directed the state government to accept land tax from the 610 affected families until the court delivers its final verdict in the long-running dispute over the lands status. The order was issued while hearing a batch of petitions, including one by the Munambam Land Protection Council, which sought a directive for revenue officials to resume accepting land tax. The state government also backed an early hearing, citing an earlier judgment that had dismissed the Waqf Boards claim to the land. The interim relief follows a landmark judgment delivered on October 9, 2025, by a Division Bench comprising Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Syam Kumar V M. The bench had held that the disputed 1950 endowment deed did not amount to a permanent religious dedication and therefore could not be considered a valid waqf deed under the Waqf Acts of 1954, 1984 or 1995. The endowment deed of 1950 never intended to create any permanent dedication in favour of the Almighty God, but was simpliciter a gift deed in favour of Farooq Management and therefore could never qualify as a waqf deed, the court had observed. The Division Bench had also ruled that the Kerala Waqf Boards 2019 decision to declare the land as waqf property was bad in law due to unreasonable delay and violation of statutory provisions. The dispute began nearly five years ago when the Waqf Board laid claim to large tracts of land in Munambam, Cherai and Pallikkal in Ernakulam districtareas along the northern coast of Vypeen that together account for about 1,000 land titles and house more than 600 families of diverse faiths. Most residents hold land documents dating back to 1989.