Kerala Waqf Samrakshana Vedhi has moved a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court challenging the order of a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, which struck down the registration of the contentious Munambam holding as a Waqf property.The Vedhi, an organisation for “restoration of alienated Waqf holdings,” contended that the order of the Division Bench violated the doctrine of statutory finality by rendering its findings on the validity of the Waqf declaration, a matter that was within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Waqf Tribunal.Incidentally, a two-member Bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and V. M. Shyamkumar had recently passed the judgment in a writ petition moved by the State government challenging a Single Judge’s order, which cancelled the appointment of an inquiry commission into the Munambam issue.The Vedhi has contended before the apex court that the Division Bench transgressed its jurisdiction and passed a declaration on the property, which is a registered Waqf, in a writ petition after bypassing the statutory procedures, especially when the issue was pending before the Waqf Tribunal. Moreover, the issue whether the Munambam property was a Waqf or not was not even the subject matter of the proceedings, the Vedi has argued.Incidentally, the Kerala Waqf Board has moved a review petition before the Division Bench, which passed the order by arguing that the Bench exceeded its judicial mandate by passing the order on an issue that was never raised by any of the parties to the litigation.The Vedhi has argued that the High Court should not have decided the matter when a proceeding on the same subject matter and that too between the same parties was pending before the tribunal. The proper legal recourse was to leave the parties to avail of the remedy before the tribunal, especially when the issue was pending before it, it noted.The pronouncement of the Division Bench, the organisation argued, declaring the registration of Munambam property as a Waqf by the Waqf Board invalid, prejudiced the proceedings that were pending before the Waqf Tribunal and thus rendered the statutory adjudication infructuous. It also infringed upon the rights of the Vedhi and the Waqf Board. The High Court failed to exercise its discretion judiciously and acted beyond the scope and ambit of exercise of its powers, the Vedhi has contended.It has also contended that the Division Bench’s order upholding the appointment of the Inquiry Commission endorsed the State government’s executive interference into a matter, which was pending before the tribunal.Published - November 18, 2025 10:25 pm IST