Kerala UDF Government Reconstitutes Waqf Board, Names MC Mayin Haji Chairman

Kerala’s UDF government has reconstituted the state Waqf Board, appointing Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader MC Mayin Haji as its new chairman. The decision comes amid a legal challenge in the High Court over the eligibility of members of the previous board, whose four-year term still had time remaining.
IUML MLA Kurukkoli Moideen has also been appointed as a member of the newly constituted board. However, the government has left two positions vacant, with appointments to be made in accordance with further orders from the Supreme Court (SC).
Under the new law, the board must include two non-Muslim members. The state government has decided to wait for further directions from the Supreme Court before appointing members to these two positions. Consequently, although the new board has been constituted and the chairman and other members have been identified, the appointments to the two posts remain pending.
MC Mayin Haji will lead the reconstituted board as chairman, while IUML MLA Kurukkoli Moideen will serve as a member. The government has not yet finalised the names for the two vacant positions, leaving their appointment dependent on the Supreme Court’s further orders.
Previously, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had appointed a Waqf Board in the state. The board still had four years remaining in its term when a petition was filed in the High Court challenging the eligibility of its members.
Despite the remaining tenure of the previous board and the pending legal challenge concerning its members’ eligibility, the UDF government has moved ahead with the constitution of a new board. The decision brings MC Mayin Haji into the chairmanship and Kurukkoli Moideen into the membership, while the appointment of two non-Muslim members remains subject to further Supreme Court orders.
The reconstitution marks an administrative change in Kerala’s Waqf Board, with the filling of the two remaining positions awaiting judicial directions.