The controversial 404 acres of Ernakulam district’s Munambam land have been officially registered by the Kerala State Waqf (Wakf) Board on the central government’s Umeed Portal, a digital platform designed for Waqf property record-keeping across India. The board has digitally reaffirmed its ownership of the property in a significant escalation, which has increased concerns that the issue is being institutionalised in national records. The move immediately transpired after the Congress-led government, which is in alliance with Indian Union Muslim League, known as United Democratic Front (UDF), stormed to power in the state.
The board took on the role of Mutawalli, the manager or trustee of a Waqf property, during the registration process, placing the land under its explicit administrative authority. More than 600 Hindu and Christian families who live in the coastal town of Munambam close to Velankanni Church are involved in the sensitive socio-political and legal struggle. The board’s claim to 404.76 acres of populated coastal territory has long been contested by them.
Notably, present Chief Minister VD Satheesan had announced that the matter could be settled in “ten minutes” if the UDF won during the height of the row. He asserted that the state government could readily issue an order instructing the board to delete the property from its registration by using section 97 of the Waqf Act. He was even reminded of his pledge by several people right after the swearing-in event.
BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) Keralam also recounted Satheesan’s promise and added, “Those 600 families were mercilessly sacrificed to appease the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim League.”
Keralam CM @vdsatheesan claimed he would resolve the Munambam land issue within 10 minutes if voted to power.
— BJP KERALAM (@BJP4Keralam) May 25, 2026
But soon after Congress came to power, the Waqf Board under his government officially registered the entire 404 acres belonging to 600 families on the UMEED portal.… pic.twitter.com/U7h6VaW5gY
A state government official had implied that the board would be ousted shortly, according to a source from the Assembly of Christian Trust Services (ACTS), reported The New Indian Express. The issue was recently discussed at a meeting between ACTS representatives and Satheesan. “He assured us that he stands firm on his opinion that Munambam land is not waqf property. He will get the residents the justice that has been promised to them,” mentioned ACTS general secretary George Sebastian.
“Way back in 2019, the board had registered the Munambam land in the waqf register. That was an illegal move. Now, the board’s decision to enter the details of the Munambam land in the Umeed portal is yet another instance of an illegal act. Both actions will soon be negated,” stated Joseph Benny, convener of the Munambam Land Protection Committee.
The Munambam Land Protection Committee (Bhu Samrakshana Samiti) argued that the registration has only made the prolonged legal fight increasingly complex. Hence, it is going to present a memorandum to Satheesan demanding the dissolution of the board owing to the mounting anger among the impacted households. The committee accused the board of making decisions that are detrimental and deficient while dodging ongoing legal review.
The registration date was originally set for 17th May. However, it was later extended by an additional month. However, the board shared the Munambam documents prior to the original date which infuriated locals who saw the action as a calculated attempt to bolster its stance and complicate the issue before any political involvement could take place.
According to Benny, the board’s chairman recently expressed in Kozhikode that “there is a Supreme Court verdict stating that the Munambam land is Waqf property.” He submitted, “Therefore, our demand is that the Waqf Board Chairman, who is acting irresponsibly in a legally sensitive position by misusing his office, and who has not conducted a proper study on this matter, as well as this entire Waqf Board, which illegally entered the Munambam property into the Waqf register, must be dissolved. We will move forward with a strong agitation to achieve this.”
“In the very first cabinet meeting, a decision was made to terminate the SilverLine project, remove the yellow survey stones, and cancel the land acquisition notifications. A solution to the Munambam Waqf issue should be found using that exact same cabinet model,” Benny added.
Background of the matter
Massive protests along the Vypeen-Munambam State Highway and relay hunger strikes at the local church grounds have been part of the Munambam agitation, which has already lasted for 413 days. The controversy began when the board insisted that the entire 404.76 acres constituted Waqf land in 2019 because Mohammed Siddique Sait allegedly donated it to Farook College for charitable educational reasons in 1950.
The situation further deteriorated after village offices stopped taking regular land tax payments from locals in 2021. The Kerala government stepped in and allowed citizens to pay land taxes. The Kerala High Court, however, suspended the government’s order after the Waqf Samrakshana Samathi protested.
Afterwards, the court pronounced in October 2025 that the board’s 2019 classification of the 404-acre coastal strip as Waqf property was excess vires and described it as a “land-grabbing tactic.” The Waqf Samrakshana Vedi later appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court. The high court’s judgement was temporarily stayed in December 2025, and the property’s status quo was to be maintained until further directions.
