Waqf Bill: Kerala Catholic Church warns MPs ‘future generations will hold you accountable’

(image for representation only)
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Close on the heels of an appeal by the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council’s (KCBC) for political support on the Waqf Amendment Bill, the Catholic Church has issued a strong warning to parliamentarians from Kerala that “future generations will hold them accountable” if they fail to back the legislation.

In its latest editorial published in Deepika, the official mouthpiece of the Church in Kerala, it criticises the Congress and the CPI(M), suggesting that these parties may believe that certain communities’ votes are assured, while others need to be appeased periodically. “Whatever the case may be, do not trim secular and democratic values just to fit the Waqf footwear,” the editorial cautions.

Emphasising that those affected by the existing Waqf laws deserve legal remedies, it argues that if the CPI(M) and the Congress still fail to recognise this need, “there is little left to say.”

Highlighting the case of Munambam residents, the article underscores that the amendment is crucial for securing their rightful revenue claims. It was in response to this urgency that the KCBC president personally urged Kerala MPs to support the Bill.

“Those opposing the amendment argue that even if the Bill is passed, justice will still elude the people of Munambam. But by making this argument, they inadvertently acknowledge that the Bill will benefit people in the future. Once the amendments are ratified, citizens should be able to sleep peacefully without fearing Waqf-related land disputes,” it notes.

‘Justice, not politics’

The editorial, at the same time, also urged the BJP to ensure that the Bill includes provisions mandating the return of lands taken over by Waqf to their rightful owners. “This legislative amendment should not be about politics but justice,” it emphasised.

Acknowledging Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP Haris Beeran’s decision to challenge the Bill in the Supreme Court if it is passed, the article also sought to remind that the people of Munambam too are fighting for their constitutional rights.

“None of the Waqf supporters, including Haris Beeran, has ever endured the struggle of waiting at the doors of a religious tribunal over the land they legally purchased,” the editorial states.

It further asserts that those facing land encroachments by religious boards should have direct access to civil courts, rather than being forced to go through the Waqf Tribunal.

“No board or committee of any other religion has staked ownership claims over land merely on the assumption that it belongs to them. And even if such a claim were raised, it is not a religious tribunal but constitutionally established civil courts that should decide the verdict. The victims of Waqf-related land disputes are demanding this fundamental justice,” the editorial noted.