Waqf claims ownership of 600 Christian families' properties in Kerala's Ernakulam

Two prominent Christian organisations -- Syro-Malabar Church and the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council -- have written to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, saying that properties that have belonged to Christian families for generations have been unlawfully claimed by the Waqf Board.

Archbishop Andrews Thazath, chairman of the Syro-Malabar Public Affairs Commission, in a letter to the JPC, said that numerous properties have been claimed by Waqf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala. He also said that these claims have led to protracted legal battles and the displacement of rightful owners.

"Around 600 families are under threat. These people belong to the impoverished fishermen community," Thazath said, adding that one Catholic Parish Church, Convent and Dispensary are under threat of evacuation by the Waqf Board.  

The Archbishop urged the JPC to consider the predicament of the people in these areas and several other parts across the country who are under the threat of losing their household in view of the unlawful claims made by the Waqf Board. 

In a similar letter, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), also sounded alarm over the Waqf Board's illegal claims on the properties of over 600 families in Munambam Beach, Ernakulam. Cleemis said that since 2002, the enforcement of the Waqf Law has caused considerable hardships for 600 families. 

"It is deeply concerning that the Waqf Board's claims are being made against a large number of citizens who legally purchased and developed their lands. These claims are unjust, constitutional, and a clear violation of the rights guaranteed by our constitution."   

Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju assured proper justice in the case. Sharing the letters, the minister said the issue of Waqf land has been affecting people across communities. "I feel pained to see eminent Christian leaders having to express their anguish in this manner. I assure them that their grievances will be addressed." 

In Ernakulam, these hundreds of villagers fear eviction due to a land dispute with the Waqf Board. The villagers, mostly fishermen, have lived there for over a century. According to them, the land was purchased by Siddique Sait in 1902 and later donated to Feroke College in 1950.

A long-standing dispute between the fishermen and the college was resolved in 1975, with the High Court ruling in favour of the college. Locals then began buying land from the college, starting in 1989. However, in 2022, the village office suddenly claimed the land belonged to the Waqf Board, denying the villagers' revenue rights and preventing them from selling or mortgaging their properties.

(With inputs from Shibimol KG)