Hisaan: Unhappy SC accepted such a 'useless' case

Attorney Hisaan Hussain says she is unhappy with the decision of Supreme Court to accept a ‘useless’ petition such as the petition filed by President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to nullify the results of the presidential elections.

The Supreme Court issued its verdict against Yameen last Sunday. Ruling there was no grounds to nullify the results of the election.

The petition filed by Yameen – who alleges the election was rigged - was fought by Elections Commission (EC) and the opposition coalition – which joined the legal proceedings as a third party.

Hisaan had been one of the attorneys representing the opposition coalition in the legal proceedings.

Speaking in an interview to RaajjeTV, Hisaan said the Supreme Court shouldn’t have entertained the petition in the first place.

“To be honest, this is very sad; the people being forced into misery for over a week is such a crucial case for the entire population. And the Supreme Court accepting such a useless case,” said Hisaan.

Hisaan said it was normal practice for Supreme Court to hold preliminary hearings before accepting a case for consideration. But that the court chose to forgo the step before accepting Yameen’s petition.

She said the verdict issued by the court in the case proved the petition was accepted into the court without any evidence to support the claims of election rigging.

“I don’t believe any court of law in any part of the world would consider a case of this standard,” said Hisaan.

She said a President of a country should be able to present a more substantial case when filing a petition with the Supreme Court.

All five Supreme Court judges unanimously agreed to uphold the results of the presidential elections, ruling Yameen failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove the election was rigged.