The Civil Court has denied Speaker of Parliament and former President, Mohamed Nasheed’s injunction request to stop the removal of trees from Ameenee Magu.
Nasheed, who was represented by Shunana & Co.LLP, argued that other alternatives were not explored before starting to remove the trees and that while it would be possible to develop the road around the trees, removing them goes against the country’s constitution and international treaties the country is party to. Moreover, Nasheed’s team also argued that if a temporary order is not granted, the purpose of the lawsuit would be moot, as the trees may completely be removed by the time a final verdict is declared.
Road Development Corporation (RDC) had argued during the initial hearing that the issuing of a temporary order would cause the company to incur financial losses as the work is being carried out with various parties under contract, utilizing equipment which have been paid for, for a certain period of time. In detail, they revealed that the loss would go beyond MVR 100,000 per day.
However, presiding judge Mariyam Waheedha ruled that Speaker Nasheed did not have any legal authority to be granted such an injunction under the law and that the case did not meet the legal requirements for the order to be granted.
The roadside trees on Ameenee Magu are currently being removed to make way for the ongoing redevelopment of the road using asphalt, which is worth MVR 84 million and commenced on August 30, 2022 by RDC.
