Christian group moves SC over Waqf law, cites land row in Kerala’s Ernakulam
Kochi: In an unexpected intervention, the Christian Alliance & Association for Social Action (CASA) has approached the Supreme Court seeking to be impleaded in the ongoing petitions challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The top court is currently hearing a batch of pleas — including one by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) — contesting the constitutional validity of the recent amendment passed by Parliament.
Kevin Peter, CASA’s Kerala state president, filed the application, arguing that the verdict will significantly affect the rights of hundreds of Christian families, particularly over 600 residents of Munambam in Ernakulam district whose land has allegedly been declared waqf property without due process.
In its plea, CASA said the residents have occupied the 400-acre land for decades, supported by sale deeds and revenue records.
The Waqf Board’s claim, it argued, is based on a disputed document from 1950, which the Kerala High Court had already ruled in 1975 as a gift deed, not a waqf deed.
CASA contended that the unilateral designation of the land as waqf property had deprived the residents of their property and revenue rights, obstructing routine transactions such as securing loans.
It backed the recent Waqf Act amendments as a necessary correction to prevent such “arbitrary actions.”
The group’s move also comes amid its push for greater political visibility ahead of the 2026 Kerala assembly elections. CASA has already announced its intention to contest the polls as a BJP-led NDA ally.
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