Supreme Court has issued a set of guidelines to which Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) must adhere to or risk facing penalties.
The 11 point guideline was issued yesterday in the final hearing of the suomoto case taken up by the Court regarding the report submitted by the Commission to the UN Human Rights Council, which had criticized the judiciary.
The ruling issued by the Court stated that HRCM should be run as per the laws in the Constitution and according to the guidelines issued by the Court. The ruling added that HRCM should ensure that their activities are held within the legal limits and any measure taken to defend human rights cannot be in violation of national solidarity.
The ruling added that an action of this manner should not occur and called on the Commission to follow laws and Constitution. It also stated that the Universal Periodical Report contained elements which cast doubts on the role of Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Abdullah Saeed, Justice Abdullah Areef, Justice Ali Hameed Mohamed, Justice Adam Mohamed Abdullah, Justice Dr. Abdullah Didi presided over the case.
This is the second suomoto case that has been carried out by the Supreme Court.Supreme Court had issued a suomoto case against Elections Commission (EC). Court had decreed that the Commission President Fuad Thaufeeq and Deputy President Ahmed Fayaz had effectively lost their positions. In that case, Supreme Court had issued guidelines to run elections.
Supreme Court releases guidelines for HRCM
