The High Court has ruled that Sheikh Fazloon Mohamed, who was arrested for allegedly organizing the International Yoga Day unrest, was detained lawfully by the Criminal Court.
On June 21, the Youth Ministry and the Indian Embassy in the Maldives jointly organized an event to celebrate Yoga Day at the National Stadium. The event was held despite religious scholars advising against it, as yoga is considered impermissible by the majority of scholars. While the event was ongoing, a group stormed the stadium and caused unrest at the venue. Twenty-one people, including two religious scholars, were arrested in the days that followed.
Fazloon was arrested for encouraging the riots. While he was in detention, his remand was extended several times. Three of the orders have been appealed at the High Court.
The High Court Sunday ruled that the police had submitted to the court sufficient evidence in the case. While new evidence is likely to be discovered when a case is being investigated, the new additions in the reason for the detention in the police request to the court is not considered as creating new charges, the court said. Therefore, there is no reason to change the Criminal Court's decision, it said.
Last month, Fazloon was granted conditional release by the Criminal Court. The prosecution has appealed the decision to the High Court. However, the court has not yet ruled on the case.
In addition to Sheikh Fazloon, Sheikh Adam Nishan, who was arrested on charges of leading the Yoga Day unrest, and others arrested in the case have now been released.
