A public interest litigation has been filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the Kerala State Waqf Board’s decision to upload the details of disputed Munambam land to the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal.

The UMEED portal is a centralised digital platform launched by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs for the registration, real-time verification, and monitoring of Waqf properties across India.

The petition filed by the Assembly of Christian Services Trust (ACTS) alleged that the Board lacked the authority to file details of the land as it was improperly constituted and lacked adequate representation among its members as mandated by law.  It also expressed concerns that over 600 Latin Catholic Christian and Hindu families face potential displacement, which could lead to disputes.

The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995, states that the Board must consist of 11 members, of which two must be non-Muslim. The petition contends that the current composition of the Board does not have this representation and has violated rules by appointing two members with professional experience in business, social work, or other development activities, and appointing one eminent scholar in Muslim theology, without verifying their qualifications. 

The petition has also sought to dissolve the current Board and to legally reconstitute it.

Earlier, controversy had erupted when the Board uploaded the details of the Munambam properties onto the portal.

The Board had defended its position, stating that it was legally bound to file the details of all registered Waqf properties not uploaded by the Mutawallis concerned.

A petition filed by Shone George, a Bharatiya Janata Party leader, alleging that the Board is functioning without the mandatory inclusion of non-Muslim members, is also pending before the High Court.