High Court grills DJA on employee’s controversial transfer to Vilimale’ archive

High Court has raised a series of questions to the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) over the controversial transfer of a senior employee to the judiciary’s archive facility in Villingili.

The case concerns Mausooma Farooq, Kashimaage, GA. Dhandhoo, who previously served as a Legal Counsel in the DJA’s Legal Department. In May, while reportedly on leave, Mausooma was abruptly transferred from her role within the department to the judiciary’s archive facility in Villingili.

Following the transfer, Mausooma filed a case with the Employment Tribunal, which subsequently issued an interim order suspending the transfer pending a final decision in the case.

The DJA challenged the interim order at the High Court. During the first hearing, which began on Tuesday, the presiding judges closely examined the department’s actions and the legal basis for the transfer.

Key issues raised by the court included:

• The judges questioned the contents of the email notifying Mausooma of her transfer and sought clarification on the specific measures taken by the DJA to comply with the Employment Tribunal’s interim order.
• The bench repeatedly sought clarification on the legal basis for the transfer and instructed the DJA to produce the formal written resolution or decision authorizing the reassignment.
• Although the DJA described the reassignment as temporary, the judges requested clarification on the intended duration of the arrangement and questioned why the decision had been made without prior consultation with the employee.
• The court also examined the nature of the duties assigned to Mausooma at the archive, questioning whether the responsibilities aligned with her professional experience, academic qualifications, and legal expertise.

During the hearing, the court was informed that following her initial transfer to the Villingili archive, Mausooma has since been temporarily reassigned to the DJA headquarters.

The DJA is seeking a High Court order to suspend the enforcement of the Employment Tribunal’s interim ruling. The court has not yet issued a decision on the request.