The current government has restored the preaching license of Sheikh Adam Nishan which was revoked by the previous government over the disruption of an International Yoga Day event at the national stadium.
Sheikh Nishan revealed the move in a post on social media platform X.
"At this opportunity, I would like to very much thank the Islamic ministry and especially Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed," Nishan wrote in his post.
According to an Islamic Ministry letter that Nishan posted, he was reauthorized after agreeing to abide by guidelines and rules set by the ministry for religious counselling and delivering sermons.
The case
On June 21 last year, as the yoga event began at 6:30 am, a group of people stormed the Galolhu stadium, attacked participants and obstructed the activity.
The group forced their way into the stadium after dismantling a fence and damaging some barricades. It took about 40 minutes for police to remove them. Tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.
The group entered while Youth Minister Ahmed Mahloof was speaking at the opening ceremony, protested loudly and forcibly stopped the event. The Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives and other diplomats were among the participants.
Sheikh Nishan and Sheikh Fazloon Mohamed were charged with encouraging an act of terrorism in connection with the incident. The trial started at the Criminal Court but has remained stalled along with several cases due to space constraints at the courthouse.
