Dhuvaafaru Council by-election: Supreme Court orders to accept candidacy of disqualified person

Supreme Court has ordered to accept the candidacy of an individual deemed ineligible by the Elections Commission (EC) to contest in the by-election of R. Dhuvaafaru Council scheduled for December 24.

The case was submitted to the Supreme Court by Abdulla Nazim, Jazeera, R. Kandholhudhoo.

EC declared him ineligible to contest in the by-election after they found his criminal record form incomplete – with respect to the section of the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA).

Nazim was informed of this an hour before the deadline for form submission. At first, EC had asked him to submit the missing information to the commission within 48 hours. He was later asked to submit the missing information before 7:00pm on that day.

Nazim submitted the missing information to EC before 7:00pm on the day. However, he was by EC later that night, of their decision not to accept his candidacy.

Supreme Court’s judgment in the case on Sunday overturned EC’s decision to disqualify Nazim, subsequently ordering the commission to accept his candidacy. The court reasoned their decision citing the criminal record form was incomplete by the negligence of DJA, whereas Nazim had also submitted the missing information to EC as requested.

The bench presiding over the case included Justice Husnu al-Suood, Justice Shujoon Mohamed and Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir.

The three judges unanimously decided to overturn EC’s decision on Nazim’s candidacy.