Court nullifies LGA imposed suspension on councilors
The suspension policy was introduced in 2016
Some former members of the Local Government Authority (LGA)
High Court has nullified a regulation on suspending councils or their members, which came into effect during jailed former President Abdulla Yameen’s tenure.
The suspension policy was introduced in 2016, and a number of councilors were suspended under this.
The constitutional case was submitted to the appellate court by a Raeefa Abdul Wahhab and Zimna Abdul Muhsin.
The state had also agreed that the suspension procedures needed to be cancelled.
Noting that while Local Government Authority (LGA) had compiled the procedures under clause 149 of the Decentralization Act, the High Court ruling says that the particular clause is in regards to difference of opinions between councils.
It added that the clause does not allow action on councils such as suspension, and ruled that LGA’s regulations were introduced against laws.
The judges’ bench that overlooked the case include Haathif Hilmy, Abdulla Hameed and Shuaib Hussain Zakariyya.
While all three unanimously ruled to nullify the policy, the ruling also states that LGA had forgone the required parliamentary procedures prior to establishing regulations.
