The Supreme Court today accepted the case submitted by MDP regarding the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.

The MDP has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision of Secretary-General Fathima Niusha to decide on the no-confidence motion against Nasheed in violation of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament.

During a press conference by MDP legal team, Ahmed Abdulla Afeef noted that the party is seeking for two orders from the court.

First, the MDP has asked the court to establish that the Parliament is required to implement Article 44 of the Parliament’s Standing Orders, in a situation where the Deputy Speaker is unable to chair a sitting if a no-confidence motion is submitted against the Speaker.

Article 44 (a) dictates that in a situation where both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are indisposed of, the Speaker must appoint an MP to chair sittings in accordance with Article 82 (b) of the Constitution.

Next, the MDP asked the court to establish that the Parliament cannot hold any other sittings until work on the no-confidence motion is done.

The party referred to Article 205 (d) of the Parliament’s Standing Orders, which states that in a situation where a no-confidence motion is submitted against the Speaker, the Parliament cannot engage in debate or make a decision on any other work submitted until a decision is made on the motion, first.