Kerala High Court Upholds State Waqf Board Reconstitution
The Kerala government reconstituted the State Waqf Board under M.C. Mayin Haji, a move the Kerala High Court refused to stay despite legal challenges.
The Government of Kerala reconstituted the State Waqf Board on October 16, appointing Indian Union Muslim League state vice-president M.C. Mayin Haji as chairman. This nine-member board replaces a committee led by K.S. Hamsa that was appointed in March 2026, despite that board having over four years remaining in its term.
The state government justified the dissolution by citing a lack of prescribed qualifications among previous members and the need to restore the board's ability to make policy decisions. The new composition includes Kurukkoli Moideen MLA and Musthafal Faizy, a recently expelled member of the Samastha E.K. faction. For the first time, Jamaat-e-Islami secured representation, while the A.P. Sunni faction was excluded. The appointment of two non-Muslim members remains deferred pending a Supreme Court decision.
Former chairperson K.S. Hamsa and former member C.K. Usman Haji filed petitions in the Kerala High Court to challenge the order, arguing the government lacked the power to reconstitute the board under the amended Waqf Act. Justice S. Manu rejected the request for an interim stay, finding no prima facie merit in the claim that the state acted against previous court orders. While the reconstitution remains subject to the final outcome of the writ petitions, the court ruled that the government's power to appoint members inherently includes the power to remove them.
