High Court has dismissed a constitutional petition challenging the decision to grant city status to GDh. Thinadhoo.

The petition, filed on 21 November by former Deputy Minister of Environment and lawyer Mohammad Ragib Ahmed, sought to nullify the status on the grounds of illegality. Registrar Mariyam Hurshida, in a ruling issued yesterday, stated that the case did not fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court at the initial stage.

She explained that Ragib failed to establish whether the resolution granting city status, issued by the President’s Office on 30 August 2023, was based on a law passed by parliament or a presidential directive.

The city status was announced on 30 August 2023 by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih through a resolution by his administration. However, Ragib has argued that the decision contravenes existing legal requirements. According to him, an area must have a population of at least 10,000 to qualify for city status. He claimed that data obtained from the Department of National Registration (DNR) under the Right to Information Act indicated Thinadhoo’s population was only 7,000.

Ragib further alleged fraudulent practices in the population count, pointing out irregularities such as deceased individuals being included in the tally and discrepancies in records of those who had moved away. He shared his concerns publicly, describing the move as politically motivated and accusing the previous government of granting the status for electoral advantage.

Despite the controversy, parliament passed an amendment to the relevant act on 18 March to formally grant city status to Thinadhoo.