Kerala HC seeks state govt’s views on nominating non-Muslim members to waqf board

Kochi: High court has sought instructions from the state govt on a PIL filed by BJP state vice-president Shone George, seeking a direction to nominate the two mandatory non-Muslim members to the Kerala State Waqf Board in accordance with Section 41 of the Waqf Act, as amended in 2025.

The bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar adjourned the PIL for consideration after two weeks at the request of the senior govt pleader, who sought additional time to file a reply.

According to the petition, the Act, as amended in 2025, mandates that at least two members of the board, excluding ex officio members, must be non-Muslims to introduce secular oversight, professional diversity, and financial accountability into the administration of public waqf properties. The petitioner contended that the state govt has deliberately flouted this statutory requirement by constituting a board comprising only Muslims.

Meanwhile, the state govt, through an order dated Feb 4, 2026, appointed nine members, all of whom are Muslims, to the 11-member Board, indicating that the remaining two members would be appointed at a later stage.