KANNUR: A controversy has erupted over a 25-acre parcel of waqf land leased to Sir Syed College in Taliparamba, with allegations surfacing that the college management submitted false documents to the Kerala High Court in a bid to claim ownership.
The Waqf Protection Committee has accused the college of attempting to usurp land owned by the Taliparamba Jamaat Mosque Trust Committee by asserting that the land belongs to the Narikottu Ettishery Illam. The committee claimed that the submission of such documents in court constitutes a deliberate move to seize waqf property.
However, the college management has categorically denied the allegations, stating that it only approached the court to request a change in the ‘thandaper’ (land tax record). As the issue gained traction, the CPM also stepped in, adding a political dimension to the ongoing dispute.
At the heart of the matter is the Cannanore District Muslim Educational Association (CDMEA), an organisation under the control of the Indian Union Muslim League. CDMEA has filed a petition in the HC claiming ownership of the land currently occupied by Sirsyed College, emphasising that the lease agreement with Taliparamba Jamaat Mosque Trust Committee grants it total legal possession.
However, the Waqf Protection Committee claims that the CDMEA, which paid the lease amount for 56 years, stopped paying it in 2022 and instead filed a suit in court, challenging the lease agreement. “The current college management has dismissed the original lease in 1967 signed by Adv Khalid, who later served as a High Court judge, by submitting a new petition, WP(C) 2025, in the HC. In the plea, the CDMEA claims that the whole land registration number is under Narikottu Illam, but in reality it is only 2 acres of land. However, this 2 acres of land was later registered to the Taliparamba Jamaat Mosque Trust Committee,” said Waqf Protection Committee secretary K P M Riyas.
The Waqf Protection Committee argue that previous Jamaat committee members, including IUML leader K V Muhammad Kunju, never disputed the land ownership during their tenure. This has raised questions about the timing and motive behind the current legal challenge.
In its defense, the college management maintains that it is only seeking to update land tax records to reflect the name of the CDMEA, which legally operates the college. They assert that ownership remains with the Taliparamba Muslim Jamaat and that the Waqf Board has not claimed otherwise.
“This case stems from efforts by certain persons to alter official documents in favour of the CDMEA, which has been the lawful leaseholder since the college’s inception,” said CDMEA secretary Muhammed Allamkulam. “Our petition to the High Court simply seeks a stay on any further action until the pending case before the Taliparamba RDO is resolved.”
He added that in all previous proceedings -- including before the Waqf Tribunal and the HC -- the consistent position has been that the property belongs to the Jamaat Committee, and that CDMEA only runs the college based on the 99-year lease agreement. Meanwhile, the CPM has sharply criticised the developments, alleging a concerted effort by IUML leaders to take over the mosque property.
CPM state secretariat member M V Jayarajan, in a strongly worded statement, called for public protest against what he described as “a highly corrupt Waqf land fraud” implicating key office-bearers of both CDMEA and the Taliparamba Muslim Jamaat Mosque.
Both Sir Syed College and the mosque are institutions historically aligned with the IUML, According to sources, internal rifts within the party may have contributed to the current dispute.
Timeline
1966: CDMEA approaches the Taliparamba Jamaat Mosque Committee seeking land to establish a college
September 17, 1966: Waqf Board approves a 99-year lease to CDMEA
1967: Lease deed executed and Sir Syed College established on the leased land
2002: Lease amount paid for the Taliparamba Jamaat Mosque Committee for the last time
2025: CDMEA approaches HC claiming ownership of land