Criminal Court on Saturday night has extended the remand of eight arrested officers of Maldives Police Service by another 15 days.
The officers were arrested under the ongoing state of emergency due to several alleged offenses.
The arrested officers include Inspector Saif Hussain, Chief Inspector Faiz Mohamed, Sergeant Ali Rishwan Ahmed, Sergeants Abdulla Riyaz and Ahmed Asim, Sergeant Ali Naseer and Corporals Hassan Naseer and Mohamed Shamin.
The officers are charged with several allegations which includes attempting too overthrow a constitutional government. The officers are currently in Dhoonidhoo custodial and they were apprehended for attempting to implement the apex court order on February 1 to release nine political dissidents including former president Mohamed Nasheed.
The representing lawyers of all arrested officers claim they were apprehended for obeying orders of superiors and added if officers are arrested for following orders of superiors then several officers on both police and military payroll are under duress of getting charged with criminal offenses for following orders.
Maldives has been thrown into a new political chaos following the Supreme Court order on February 1 ordering the release of the nine political prisoners. Following this the state government locked horns with apex court officials in order to rescind the order.
The court had also annulled anti-defection law reinstating a dozen lawmakers who had earlier defected to the opposition.
On February 5 the state declared a state of emergency temporarily suspending more than 20 constitutional rights and several judicature rights in an attempt to quell top-court's authority.
Immediately after the emergency was imposed, government directed security officials to break in and enter top court premises, which was followed with the arrest of Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and top court judge Ali Hameed - both men await their trials at Dhoonidhoo penitentiary.
Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was also arrested under the state of emergency who is charged with the attempt to overthrow a constitutional government as well as influencing the local judiciary bodies to issue orders against the government.
