Anti-defection ruling will not apply retroactively, clarifies Supreme Court
The apex court explained that the ruling “cannot be enforced retrospectively” following confusion and uncertainty over the status of 10 renegade MPs who left the governing Progressive Party of Maldives after signing an opposition-led no-confidence motion against the speaker.
17 Jul 2017, 9:00 AM
Lawmakers who left their parties before Thursday’s controversial anti-defection ruling will not be stripped of their seats, the Supreme Court clarified in an order issued Sunday night.
The apex court explained that the ruling “cannot be enforced retrospectively” following confusion and uncertainty over the status of 10 renegade MPs who left the governing Progressive Party of Maldives after signing an opposition-led no-confidence motion against the speaker.
The lawmakers quit en masse after the Attorney General sought the anti-defection ruling, but the PPM secretariat refused to accept their resignation citing ongoing inquiries by its ethics committee.
The MPs have also been told to retract their signatures on the no-confidence motion by midnight.
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