Satheesan accused Pinarayi Vijayan of making communal remarks over the Waqf Board issue and targeting the UDF government.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday accused CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan of making communal remarks over the appointment of non-Muslim members to the Waqf Board and attempting to turn the Muslim community against the UDF government.
Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Satheesan said the previous LDF government had itself stated that non-Muslim members would be appointed to the Waqf Board.
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Satheesan said several petitions had been filed before the Kerala High Court challenging the manner in which the Board was constituted. The UDF government had sought dismissal of the petitions while informing the court that it would consider reconstituting the statutory body after examining the issues raised in the pleas, he said.
The Waqf Board had gone to the Supreme Court against the Kerala HC order of July 15 and submitted that it will appoint non-Muslim members in accordance with section 14 of the United Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act of 2025.
It also told the apex court that as assured earlier, the non-Muslim members will be appointed from the Bar Council and public persons, and it sought permission to take the Board forward in accordance with section 14 of the Act.
The Waqf Board took the same stand in the SC as the Kerala government did in the High Court.
"But the Opposition leader made incorrect, communal remarks to spread communalism and turn the Muslim community against the government. Such attempts by the Opposition leader or the CPM to blame the government on this issue will not succeed," Satheesan said.
"It was his (Vijayan's) government which stated that non-Muslims would be appointed to the Board. It is on record. We said we would constitute the Board after taking into consideration the issues raised in the petitions before the High Court, but the pleas should be dismissed," he added.
Satheesan said Kerala's Waqf Board was the first in the country to be constituted after amendments to the Waqf Act in 2025. He claimed that the then LDF government had stated that two non-Muslim members would be appointed to the Board from the Bar Council and among members of the public after the elections to the lawyers' body were completed.
"The Waqf Board has taken a stand before both the High Court and the Supreme Court that it will comply with Section 14 of the Act," Satheesan said.
He added that the state government would take a decision on the matter in accordance with the directions of the court concerned.
The Kerala High Court, on July 15, had directed the Waqf Board not to take major decisions, incur capital expenditure or make policy decisions without the court's permission. It had also ordered the Board to function under the supervision of a joint secretary.
However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday modified the High Court's order by removing the direction that the Board should function under the supervision of the joint secretary. The apex court did not interfere with the other restrictions imposed by the High Court.
The Supreme Court also directed the High Court to dispose of the matter expeditiously after giving all parties a fair opportunity to file their claims and counter-claims and disposed of the Waqf Board's appeal.
PTI
Published: 22 Jul 2026, 04:32 pm IST
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