Seyed Sheikh Koya Thangal et al. vs M. A. Badurdeen et al. – CA WAKF/01/2004-2022

In the case between Seyed Sheikh Koya Thangal (deceased) and others (Appellants) and M. A. Badurdeen, M. M. Mukthar, and others (Respondents), the court addressed the issue of whether, under the relevant religious and statutory framework, the trustees of the Muhiyideen Thakkiya Mosque should be appointed by the Wakf Board on the recommendation of the spiritual leader (Sheikh Koya Thangal), or by members of the mosque’s Jamaath. It was held that, based on historical practice and the weight of available evidence, the trustees had been selected by the Jamaath members, not by the Sheikh. The decision reaffirmed the principle that appointment of religious trustees must follow established community practices unless convincingly contradicted by evidence. Reliance was placed on statutory provision