The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Kerala High Court’s observations that had described the notification of land at Munambam in Ernakulam district as waqf as a “land-grabbing tactic of the Kerala Waqf Board”, and ordered maintenance of status quo over the disputed property.

A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan, however, clarified that it has not stayed the High Court’s direction upholding the Kerala government’s decision to appoint an inquiry commission to ascertain the ownership of the land.

The dispute relates to around 404 acres of land in the villages of Cherai and Munambam, where local residents have alleged that the Waqf Board unlawfully claimed their land as waqf despite them holding registered title deeds and land tax payment receipts. The properties were notified

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