Civil Court accepts case seeking interim order to halt Shaheed’s appointment to HC

Civil Court has accepted the case filed seeking an interim order to halt the appointment of Mohamed Shaheed as a High Court judge.

Shaheed, who previously served as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Homeland Security, has been engaged in ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)’s political activities.

Judicial Service Commission (JSC) opened applications for two High Court vacancies on July 10, with a closing date of July 16. The list of applicants remained undisclosed until Wednesday, just before the interviews and final selections were conducted.

Out of 18 applicants, JSC chose Shaheed and Abdulla Jameel Moosa, a former Civil Court judge.

One of the applicants, Ahmed Naushad, filed a case challenging Shaheed's appointment, claiming the decision was unjust and that other qualified individuals with appropriate academic backgrounds were overlooked.

While the court accepted the case on Sunday, JSC has already scheduled the oath-taking ceremony for the new High Court judges for 8:30pm tonight.

Shaheed was engaged in PNC’s campaign activities during the 2023 presidential election and the 2024 parliamentary election. He has publicly defended the party while in office.

President Muizzu was elected to office on the promise of not influencing the judiciary. However, the recent suspension of three Supreme Court judges and the subsequent dismissal of two of them as the top court reviewed a case challenging controversial anti-defection clauses that were written into the Constitution last year fueled speculation regarding the government’s influence on the judiciary.

Government officials were also quick to point out that Husnu al-Suood, one of the justices who was suspended and ultimately resigned, had previously been a member of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), insisting that politically active individuals should not hold judicial positions.