The Supreme Court has concluded proceedings for MP Mohamed Abdulla’s case seeking that the Elections Commission decision removing them from parliament be overturned.
The hearing held on Thursday is the first in the case and the next hearing will be held to issue a verdict. The lawmaker was dismissed on the grounds of a Supreme Court ruling against floor-crossing.
The ruling however stated that despite floor-crossing being cause for dismissal according to the constitution, a law on the matter must first be passed.
Although the Elections Commission has since nullified their previous decision and decided to reinstate the lawmakers, their lawyer said in court that MP Abdulla left the ruling party before the apex court’s verdict on 13th July, 2017.
MP Abdulla was among 12 lawmakers dismissed by the commission on grounds of floor-crossing. Four of these lawmakers have been reinstated by the Supreme Court in hearings held earlier this month.
While the Elections Commission reversed the decision they made and maintained for over a year, the Supreme Court formally quashed it, claiming that its bench is currently presiding over cases that involve the decision.
The Joint Opposition, a coalition of parties with which all 12 lawmakers are aligned, has said that the floor-crossing verdict and the subsequent law were the result of political maneuvering carried out by pro-government lawmakers in order to deter the dismissal of embattled parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh.
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