Temporary relief for people of Munambam; HC allows government to collect land tax

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has allowed the state government to collect land tax from residents of Munambam in Ernakulam. The court directed that the tax may be collected on a temporary basis until a final verdict is delivered in the case. Earlier, a Division Bench of the High Court had ruled that the Munambam land is not Waqf property.

The petition before the court was filed by the Land Protection Committee, seeking directions to the Revenue Department to accept land tax. After the Division Bench declared that the Munambam land was not Waqf property, the government had requested the court to consider the petitions submitted by the committee and others. Following this, Justice C. Jayachandran issued the interim order today.

Earlier, the High Court had stated that the disputed land in Munambam is not Waqf property dedicated to any deity. The land was transferred in 1950 under a deed of gift. The court had also pointed out that the Kerala Waqf Board’s move to declare it as Waqf property after 69 years was illegal. The ruling was delivered by a Division Bench comprising Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and VM Shyamkumar.

The Munambam land originally consisted of 404 acres, handed over in the 1950s by Abdul Sattar Sett to the management of Farook College in Kozhikode. The Farook College management later sold parts of the land to several individuals, violating the original conditions. Due to sea erosion, only 114 acres remain today. Around 600 families living in the area are facing eviction threats. The protests began in May 2019 when the Waqf Board attempted to take over the land after declaring it as Waqf property on May 20, 2019.