Supreme Court orders public prosecutors to attend court

Supreme Court has today ordered prosecutors of Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office to attend court for proceedings.

The court has also ordered PG Office to continue to file criminal lawsuits on behalf of the State.

Supreme Court said in its order that in line with the concept of continuity of legal government, filing criminal lawsuits and making all arrangements related to those lawsuits must continue despite the absence of a Prosecutor General and a Deputy Prosecutor General.

Supreme Court also ordered public prosecutors and relevant state authorities to fully comply with the court’s earlier order to proceed with criminal proceedings despite the absence of a Prosecutor General.

The court said that in a democratic state governed by a constitution, there are no legal grounds to justify actions that lead to the loss of people’s rights and disruption of order in the society. It also highlighted the importance of ensuring continuity, without disruptions, of the criminal justice system in the country in order to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of the State and the people.

This Supreme Court order comes after public prosecutors stopped attending court proceedings when Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem resigned on 5 May, leaving both Prosecutor General and Deputy Prosecutor General posts vacant. The post of Prosecutor General has been vacant since Ahmed Muizzu resigned in November 2013.