The Supreme Court has stepped in to pause a Kerala High Court decision that had ruled the Munambam land in Ernakulam district was not Waqf property. In an interim order, the Court said the current situation must remain as it is until the case comes up again on January 27, 2026.
The bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing a petition from the Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedi, which had challenged the High Court’s findings. The Court made it clear that the stay applies only to the part of the judgment that declared the land non-Waqf. Everything else in the High Court’s ruling continues to stand.
The dispute involves about 404 acres in Munambam, donated in 1950 to the Farook College Managing Committee. Parts of the land were later sold, and the conflict grew after the Kerala Waqf Board classified the area as Waqf property in 2019. Long-time residents and other stakeholders objected, saying they hold rightful ownership and have been paying taxes for years.
The High Court had previously held that the land could not be treated as Waqf. With the Supreme Court’s interim order, that conclusion is now on hold while the Court studies the broader issues of jurisdiction and the nature of the land. The order also ensures no physical changes are made on the property while the case moves forward.
