The Kerala High Court has restrained the authorities concerned from permitting anything other than the acceptance of land tax from persons living in disputed land at Munambam, which the Waqf Board claimed was Waqf property.
On being informed that the authorities permitted mutation and also accepted register of rights, beyond what was permitted in the court’s previous order, the court orally observed that the court had permitted only payment of tax and nothing beyond that. The court was hearing a batch of petitions, including by the Munambam Bhoo Samrakshana Samiti, and people who lived on the said land. The matter has been posted for hearing on January 14.
600 families
The High Court had in November, through an interim order, directed the Revenue department to temporarily accept land tax from the over 600 families in the disputed land at Munambam. This followed a plea by the Samiti and others who submitted that the village officer concerned was not accepting tax, citing Waqf Board claims over the property. They thus sought a directive to the District Collector and the tahsildar to accept land tax and to effect mutation, transfer, issue encumbrance certificate, and also changes in Tandaper register in relation to the property situated in Kuzhuppilly village. The court had then permitted the officials concerned to accept tax from the petitioners and similarly placed persons provisionally, subject to the result of the proceedings regarding the land pending before the Supreme Court.
