Embattled Maldives president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom late Tuesday again amended the decree under which he declared a state of emergency the day before to give some authority back to the country's Supreme Court.
The island nation has been embroiled into fresh political turmoil after the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the immediate release of jailed political leaders including the now self-exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed.
President Yameen had declared a 15 day state of emergency after his last ditch attempt to convince the top court to revoke the order failed after the apex court rejected the government's 'legal and judicial' concerns over the order.
Under the emergency state Yameen had originally suspended as many as 20 constitutional rights for the duration along with the criminal procedure Act and several articles of the judicature Act. However, earlier Tuesday he had amended the declaration to all but suspend Article 48 of the constitution which specifies the rights on arrest or detention.
In his second amendment, the president lifted the suspension of Article 145 (c) of the constitution.
Article 145 (c) of the constitution states that the Supreme Court shall be the final authority on the interpretation of the constitution, the law, or any other matter dealt with by a court of law.
The constitutional rights suspended by president Yameen has effectively quashed any moves by the opposition to impeach him while also stripping the Supreme Court of any authority.
In the few hours since emergency state was declared police have made a series of high profile arrests including former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, two top court judges and the chief judicial administrator.
The move comes after president Yameen had accused that the chief justice had been bribed to issue the court order in a bid to overthrow the government.
"I had to declare a national emergency because there was no other way to investigate these judges. We had to first suspend their authority and immunities. Because we had to find out how thick the plot or coup is," president Yameen said in his address to the nation on live television.
In addition to Nasheed, the other top political leaders named in the order included Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim, religiously conservative Adhaalath Party (AP) leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla, former defence minister Mohamed Nazim, former vice president Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor and Gayoom's lawmaker son Faris Maumoon.
The others named in the order included former prosecutor general Muhthaz Muhsin, magistrate Ahmed Nihan and Adheeb's brother in law Hamid Ismail.
