Supreme Court Wraps Up Hearings on Controversial Parliament Standing Orders Amendment Case

The Supreme Court concluded hearings today regarding the case filed by the Attorney General’s Office (AG Office) concerning the contentious amendment to the parliament’s standing orders.

Seven lawmakers vacated their positions in November to assume key roles in President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration. However, the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) opted against holding by-elections in such close proximity to the parliamentary elections. 

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Seizing the opportunity, the main opposition MDP, which holds a parliamentary majority, amended the standing orders to exclude vacated seats from the total count of MPs. Subsequently, the state lodged a case with the Supreme Court to nullify the amendments. Following this, the MDP rescinded its initial amendments and introduced a new amendment to another article, effectively replicating the previous content.

The initial hearing in the case took place on Wednesday, with the bench seeking clarification on various points over the course of approximately two hours. Chaired by Justice Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, the bench includes Justices Aisha Shujoon, Husnu al Suood, Mahaz Ali Zahir, and Mohamed Ibrahim.

The case is being pursued without a specific respondent, as the parliament is represented by the AG Office, the appellant, with no objection from the parliament.

During today’s hearing, the Supreme Court bench queried whether any decisions had been made in contravention of the injunction issued by the court at the AG Office’s request, which ordered the suspension of the amendment pending a final ruling. 

In response, the state attorney affirmed that this matter would be investigated, further indicating that the minutes of all sittings held since the injunction would be submitted to the court.

Justice Azmiralda indicated that the judgment in the case would follow once the justices have reviewed the forthcoming documents. She stated, “We conclude all the hearings in the case. However, if we feel the need to hold an additional hearing after we review the documents that will be submitted later, an additional hearing will be held in this case.”

According to both amendments made by the MDP, the total number of MPs would now be 80, down from 87.

MDP has signalled its intention to file a motion for the impeachment of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu before the current term ends in May, asserting that they have amassed enough signatures to initiate impeachment proceedings. 

With a coalition of 56 MPs between MDP and Democrats, which recently announced an alliance to enhance parliamentary oversight, they possess the requisite power to impeach both the president and the vice president, should they choose to do so.