The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, ruled against accepting the case concerning the salary reduction of the president, vice president and leaders of certain independent bodies, over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lodged by former Civil Court Judge Mohamed Hailam, the case sought to overturn the decision reached by the parliament earlier this year to cut the aforementioned salaries for a six-month period.
As per the case, the salaries of the president and vice president were slashed in contravention of provisions in the Constitution which fix a particular wage for both positions. The Constitution also prohibits salary reductions for the heads of certain independent institutions during the course of their terms.
Speaking at the verdict hearing, Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan stated that the Supreme Court's jurisdiction, as per the Judicature Act, included matters concerning public interest as well as situations involving a constitutional vacuum. The Chief Judge asserted that Hailam's case did not fall under either of the aforementioned circumstances and that the matter pertained to individual interests.
All judges presiding over the case unanimously agreed that the case did not fall under the Supreme Court's jurisdiction.
The legal proceedings were overseen by Justices Dr Azmiralda Zahir, Aisha Shujune Mohamed, Mahaz Ali Zahir and Dr Mohamed Ibrahim.
In an effort to counteract the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy, the government vowed to reduce state spending by MVR 1 billion. The salaries of all political appointees and heads of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were slashed by 20 percent in this regard. The parliament also approved a 20 percent cut on their members’ salaries as well.
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