INL Alleges UDF Move to Control Kerala Waqf Board and Properties

The Indian National League (INL) on Monday alleged that the Congress-Muslim League leadership is making a planned attempt to take control of the Kerala State Waqf Board. Party State president Ahammad Devarkovil and general secretary Kasim Irikkur made the charge at a press conference in Kozhikode after the INL State secretariat meeting.

They said the Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government has, since assuming office, been making concerted efforts to gain control of the Waqf Board and Waqf properties, including the disputed Munambam Waqf land. The leaders stated that these developments had the potential to create political and social unrest in Kerala and warned of far-reaching consequences if not resisted. They called upon secular forces to unite against what they described as a dangerous political move.

The allegation forms part of a wider dispute over the reconstitution of the Kerala State Waqf Board under the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act, also known as the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government reconstituted the Board in February 2026 after the earlier Board’s term ended. It appointed nine Muslim members and left two positions, required under the amended law for non-Muslim members, vacant. The government order at the time stated that the two members would be appointed later from the Bar Council and among public figures.

Several petitions were filed in the Kerala High Court challenging the Board’s constitution. One of the petitions was filed by BJP leader Shone George, who contended that the absence of the mandatory non-Muslim members rendered the Board’s functioning illegal. Other petitions raised issues of representation and the inclusion of certain properties, including Munambam land, on the central UMEED portal.

After the UDF government took office in May 2026, it informed the High Court that it was prepared to reconstitute the Board in strict compliance with Section 14 of the 2025 Act, which mandates the inclusion of two non-Muslim members. On 15 July the High Court restrained the Board from taking major policy decisions or incurring capital expenditure without its permission and directed that it function under the supervision of a government joint secretary. On 21 July the Supreme Court set aside the supervisory direction but left the other interim restrictions in place and asked the High Court to dispose of the matter expeditiously.

Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan has stated that the previous LDF government deliberately left the two non-Muslim posts vacant while challenging the amended Act in court, and that the Board continued to function with the required quorum. He said the UDF government’s willingness to reconstitute the Board in line with the amended law amounted to accepting the Central legislation. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has responded that the LDF government’s own order reconstituting the Board had stated that the two non-Muslim members would be appointed later, and that the UDF government would take a decision based on the court’s directions.

The INL has specifically linked the reconstitution move to the Munambam land dispute, alleging that the existing Board was unwilling to compromise on the matter and that the government was seeking a new Board more amenable to its position. The party has also referred to the use of provisions of the 2025 Act in court arguments and to an affidavit filed before the High Court indicating that the Board would be reconstituted under the amended law.

The legal proceedings and the political exchanges between the UDF and LDF continue, with the composition of the Waqf Board and the status of properties such as Munambam remaining under judicial scrutiny.