NKB1984

Documentary evidence with NEWS 18 Malayalam exposes how Waqf is claiming thousands of acres of land that isn't its own from 600 families in Munamban, suburb of Kochi, Kerala. Documents show that in 1902, the land belonged to Rama Varma the King of Travancore who leased 404 acres of land and 60 acres of backwater, known as the Munambam property, to a Kutchi Memon, Abdul Sattar Musa Haji Seth as a mark of appreciation for his entreprenuership. The lease had previously excluded the land of local fishermen who had lived there for many decades. Later Sattar Seth’s son-in-law, Muhammed Siddique Seth, along with his father, Musalman Seth registered this land at the Edapally (Ernakulam) Sub-Registrar Office, including the areas where fishermen had resided for nearly a century. It is clear from the two documents that the transfer of land that took place 74 years ago was not by way of Waqf but by Gift deed (Ishtadanam). With this, the arguments of the Waqf Board, the claims on the land, fall apart. This is based on the two documents. 1. The document for Muhammed Siddique Seth gave 404 acres of land to Farooq College on November 1, 1950. 2. The sale of part of it by Farooq College on 15 January 1990. These two documents discredit the claims made by the Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi (Waqf Protection Front) and others about the Munambam dispute. The main precondition while transferring land to Waqf is that the grantor can not impose conditions on the land donated. If there are any such conditions, it can not be considered as waqf.