The Kerala State Waqf Board and the law that lays down how it is constituted

Background

The Kerala High Court is hearing petitions on the constitution of the Kerala State Waqf Board. In an interim order it has held that the constitution of the Board prima facie appears to be not in conformity with Section 14 of the governing Act, has directed the Board not to exercise any major functions, incur capital expenditure or take policy decisions without the court's express permission, and has said that until further orders the Board is to function under the supervision of the Joint Secretary of the state government department dealing with Waqf matters. The permanent fact behind that case is the statute. The Kerala State Waqf Board is a statutory body established by the Government of Kerala under the Wakf Act, 1995. Its primary purpose is to manage, supervise, and ensure the proper administration of all registered Islamic religious and charitable endowments in the state, including mosques, madrassas, orphanages, and graveyards. The amending Bill of 2025 provided for the renaming of Waqf Act, 1995 as the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED), and for a broad-based composition of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards, ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims. The UMEED Act mandates that every State Waqf Board include two non-Muslim members and one Shia member.