Ruling PNC’s has alleged political intentions behind Husnu al-Suood’s resignation letter to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu as he resigned from his post as a justice at the Supreme Court.
Suood, who was in suspension, initially submitted his resignation letter to the President on Tuesday. The letter was submitted to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) later on Tuesday after some media outlets reported that JSC had decided against accepting Suood’s resignation, owing to the fact that the resignation letter was sent to the President and not the Commission.
According to Judges Act, a judge who wishes to resign must inform their intention to resign and last date of service via a written letter. The law states that their resignation will come into effect from the date stated in the letter.
PNC, in a statement on Wednesday, said the judiciary is responsible for protecting the rights of the people away from politics. As such, the ruling party cited non-involvement in politics as one of the bases of the trust placed in the judiciary.
In contrast, PNC, pointing to Suood's background as an activist, accused him of following activist principles during his time as a justice, arguing that this was evident from his actions when tendering his resignation.
“This party believes the submission of his resignation letter to the President’s Office, which by law is required to be submitted to the Judicial Service Commission, with the intent to raise baseless allegations against the President, is clear proof of Suood’s involvement in the competitive political arena,” the statement read.
PNC noted that JSC is mandated to suspend a judge if a criminal investigation has been launched against them. As such, the ruling party stressed that Suood would be treated the same as other judges, in line with the laws concerning judges.  
Citing JSC is empowered to investigate complaints against judges, PNC emphasized that this process should not be halted simply because it involves a judge from a specific court.
The statement also stressed that the President has facilitated the opportunity for independent institutions to freely fulfill their constitutional and legal responsibilities. PNC said such institutions fulfilling their responsibilities does not amount to politically influencing the judiciary but rather represents the proper function of the system.
Suood made huge allegations against the government in his resignation letter addressed to the President and JSC.
In this regard, Suood said the Supreme Court had faced numerous pressures from the administration ever since the court established it has jurisdiction to hear a case challenging the contentious amendment to add anti-defection provisions to the Constitution.
Suood and two other Supreme Court justices – Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir – were suspended by JSC, citing an ongoing criminal investigation against them by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Their suspension came less than one hour ahead of the 11:00am hearing scheduled at the Supreme Court regarding a request for an injunction to suspend the enforcement of controversial anti-defection clauses.