Court orders military to reinstate sacked officer in 45 days

The civil court Thursday gave the military 45 days to comply with a previous order to reinstate a senior officer who was unfairly dismissed after President Abdulla Yameen’s inauguration in November 2013.

Sergeant Major Naushad Ali was among nine high-ranking officers fired over accusations of sowing discord within the military ahead of the 2013 presidential election.

The civil court first ordered his reinstatement in October 2014 but the military challenged it before the High Court. The appellate court refused to hear the appeal, a decision that was later upheld upon review by the supreme court.

Citing the failed appeals, the civil court in September last year ordered the Defence Ministry to reinstate Naushad within 14 days and to compensate him for lost salary and allowances.

Naushad filed a second lawsuit when the Maldives National Defence Force refused to comply.

He was among several soldiers who signed a letter in November 2013 expressing concern about the delays in concluding polls by the end of the presidential term on November 11.

As the possibility of holding presidential polls by the end of the presidential term dimmed following police obstruction and Supreme Court orders, some 73 mid-ranking officers had also circulated an appeal calling on fellow soldiers not to obey any “unlawful” orders issued by then-President Dr Mohamed Waheed or his political appointees.

The firing spree, days after Yameen assumed office, was the first of a series of purges of the security forces carried out by his administration.