High Court rejects case of civil servant suspension

High Court has decided against accepting a complaint that seeks respite through the law for civil servants who are suspended from their posts of employment due to contesting in the local council elections or women’s development committee elections.

Under the law, civil service employees are effectively suspended from their posts and would receive their salaries or allowances starting from the date of their candidacy.

However, the situation with COVID-19 has meant that the local council and women’s development committee elections scheduled for earlier this month have had to be pushed back without a specific date. This has led to civil servants taking part in the elections to remain suspended from their posts.

High Court media official Ameen Faisal stated that the court’s decision to not accept the matter was because it was not within its jurisdiction.

A bill proposed by the government to the parliament to delay the election states that the suspension of the civil servants would end when the bill becomes a law. The bill is yet to be passed by the parliament.