Among the cases taken up by the special task force formed by the Chief Justice to clear long‑pending matters is the constitutional amendment that strips MPs of their seats if they change their political party.
The task force was established by Chief Justice Abdul Ghani Mohamed to address the growing backlog of unresolved cases in the judiciary. The nine‑member committee will handle cases that have remained pending for more than a year, and it has now officially begun its work.
The amendment in question, passed in 2024, states that a parliamentarian elected on behalf of a political party will lose their seat if they resign from that party or join another during their term.
The case challenging the amendment has been stalled at the Supreme Court for over a year. The last hearing was held in February last year. It was filed in late 2024 by former Kendhoo MP and lawyer Ali Hussain.
Announcing the formation of the task force, the Chief Justice said the committee would examine the reasons behind delays in long‑pending cases.
“The task force will ask the magistrate, judge or panel assigned to the case to clarify the reason for the delay. If the delay is caused by a lack of cooperation from any government agency, the task force will consult that agency to find a solution. Every step we take, every email we send, every phone call we make, will be logged,” the Chief Justice said.
The case on the seat‑loss amendment came to a halt after the Supreme Court scheduled a hearing to decide on an interim order sought in the matter. The case is being heard by the full bench, but the composition of the bench has since changed, with a majority of the judges, including the Chief Justice, now replaced.