Supreme Court Cancels Scheduled Hearing on Anti-Defection Clauses

The Supreme Court has cancelled the hearing, which was set to address an injunction against the anti-defection clauses added to the Constitution last November. 

The hearing was cancelled after Supreme Court justices Husnu Al-Suood, Dr Azmiralda Zahir, and Mahaz Ali Zahir were suspended.

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The hearing on the injunction was scheduled to take place at 11:00 am this morning. However, just hours before, at 10:00 pm last night, Parliament passed a government-backed amendment to the Judicature Act, reducing the number of justices on the Supreme Court bench from seven to five.

The amendment was submitted on Sunday night by Holhudhoo MP Abdul Sattar Mohamed, a member of the ruling Progressive National Congress (PNC), which holds a supermajority in Parliament. During the sitting, 79 MPs were in attendance, with the bill passing by a majority vote of 68 to 9.

The Supreme Court is reviewing a case that seeks to overturn the anti-defection clauses, arguing that the amendment violates key constitutional provisions and the basic structure doctrine.

The opposition has criticised the submission of the bill to amend the Judicature Act while the case remains under review, describing it as an attempt to influence and intimidate the judiciary.