India has said that it is closely monitoring the political situation in Maldives, and urged the country’s government to respect and abide by the order of the apex court, according to media reports.
India released a statement in this regard on Friday.
On Thursday, Maldivian Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of former president Mohamed Nasheed and eight other opposition leaders. The court also ordered they be tried again, saying the previous proceedings had violated the constitution and international law.
Meanwhile, several clashes between opponents of the Maldivian government and police in the capital Male took place following the ruling of the apex court.
The attorney general of Maldives warned the court against trying to impeach President Abdulla Yameen.
According to
Times of India (TOI) which spoke to sources from the Maldivian Supreme Court on Sunday, Yameen was looking for ways to fire judges of the apex court, including chief justice Abdulla Saeed, by filing false cases against them.
The sources feared that the country may end up with military rule.
The same sources said Maldives needs urgent help from India and other democratic countries, writes TOI.
In its ruling ordering the release of Nasheed, the Supreme Court said it found that prosecutors and judges had been unduly influenced “to conduct politically motivated investigations” into the allegations levelled at Nasheed and others.
The nine had been jailed on charges ranging from terrorism to treason and corruption, writes
Reuters.
The court also ordered the reinstatement of 12 lawmakers who had been stripped of their parliamentary seats by Yameen’s party for defecting last year, saying: “Their removal was unconstitutional.”
The reinstatement of the legislators, who currently belong to opposition parties, would cause Yameen’s party to “lose its majority” in the 85-member parliament.
Should the opposition reach a majority, they would be able to unseat the speaker, who is a member of the ruling party, and pass no confidence motions against government officials, reports Reuters.