Munambam Waqf issue: Govt. will protect the rights of people, says Minister Rajeeve

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 2 (PTI) A day after the government-appointed judicial commission investigating the Munambam Waqf land dispute announced a temporary halt to its functioning, Minister P Rajeeve stated that the government has given all powers to the commission for acting independently.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Law and Industries Minister Rajeeve said, the rights of the eligible occupants in the coastal village should be protected.

The Justice C N Ramachandran Nair Commission, appointed by the Kerala government to look into the Munambam land dispute, has temporarily wound up its operations.

The decision came after the state government told the High Court that the commission was neither a judicial nor a quasi-judicial body and had no power to enforce its recommendations.

Ramachandran Nair had said that the functioning of the commission was being halted until the High Court pronounces the final verdict in the petition challenging its appointment.

Responding to the issue, Rajeeve said: "The government intends to examine the recommendations based on the commission’s inquiry on how to legally safeguard the people of Munambam, prevent their displacement, and ensure their legal rights." He further stated that the state government has the Constitutional authority to take such measures.

Rajeeve also said the government stands with the local residents on this issue.

In response to a petition filed by the Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi, Ernakulam, challenging the state government’s order appointing the commission, the state government recently submitted that the commission is only a fact-finding authority and has no power to adjudicate on questions of title or disputes.

Following this, the commission stopped its functioning.

Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran stated that his party would not allow even a single family among the 600 fearing eviction due to the Waqf Board’s claim.

Addressing activists of the ‘Munambam Bhoo Samrakshana Samiti’, who have been on a relay hunger strike for 113 days, Surendran said the BJP stood with the protest since the beginning and will continue to do so until the issue is resolved.

"Other political leaders change their stance within 24 hours of visiting Munambam and expressing solidarity. This is the result of their distorted secular perspective," he said.

He also questioned whether the Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan still stands by his earlier statement that the land in Munambam does not belong to the Waqf Board.

"Once the Waqf Act Amendment is passed by Parliament, there will be a permanent solution to Waqf-related encroachments, including in Munambam," Surendran said.

He further demanded that the Kerala Assembly withdraw its unanimously passed resolution against the Waqf Act Amendment and urged all 28 MPs from the state to support the amendment in Parliament.

In the villages of Cherai and Munambam in Ernakulam district, residents have alleged that the Waqf Board was unlawfully claiming their land and properties, despite the people holding registered deeds and land tax payment receipts. PTI ARM ARM ADB