Kerala: Syro-Malabar Church favours amendment to Waqf Act, cites property disputes

Kottayam (Kerala), Sep 24 (PTI) The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala has sent a letter to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, requesting suggestions to amend the Waqf Act of 1995, a source said here on Tuesday.

In his letter dated September 10, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, chairman of the Syro-Malabar Public Affairs Commission, claimed that numerous properties belonging to Christian families for generations in the villages of Cherai and Munambam in the Ernakulam district have been unlawfully claimed by the Waqf Board. This has led to protracted legal battles and the displacement of rightful owners, the source said.

The source said that around 600 families are under threat.

"These people belong to the impoverished fishermen community. One Catholic parish church, a convent, and a dispensary are under threat of evacuation by the Waqf Board," the source said.

The Church has requested the JPC to consider the "tragic situation" of the people in these villages and many other parts of India who are at risk of losing their homes due to the "totally unjust and inhuman claims" made by the Waqf Board, the source said.

The Public Affairs Commission has urged the committee to make suggestions to amend the Waqf Act of 1995 based on humanitarian and Constitutional principles, the source added.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 8, following its introduction in the Lok Sabha by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

This move was met with significant objections from opposition parties, who argued that the Bill is intended to target the Muslim community.

The influential Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. With approximately five million believers, it is the largest Eastern Catholic Church after the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian (Nazrani) denominations. PTI