Defense Ministry has refused to comply with an Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM) order to disclose details of the "civilians" brought to replace Indian soldiers operating military aircraft in the Maldives.
On May 12, Adhadhu filed a request under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to find out how they were confirmed as civilians, their details and how they operated the military aircraft.
But the Defense Ministry decided to classify the information on their profile, age, gender and whether they had previously served in the Indian military. The ministry also decided to classify the number of trips made by the aircraft since November 17, 2023.
Adhadhu filed a complaint with ICOM following the Defense Ministry's decision not to disclose the requested information. Four hearings were held in the case which lasted for about two or three months.
ICOM made a decision on November 14. The order signed by Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid Rasheed said the Defense Ministry must provide the details to Adhadhu within five working days.
The deadline given by ICOM has ended, but Adhadhu has yet to receive any information from the Defense Ministry.
On November 14, ICOM also directed the request to find any agreements reached with India on the "civilians" to the Foreign Ministry as the Defense Ministry said during hearings that this information would be with the Foreign Ministry.
However, the Defense Ministry has not complied with the directive.
An information officer for the Defense Ministry told Adhadhu that "senior ministry officials" have not yet reached a decision on the matter. Defense Ministry has the right to appeal the ICOM decision in the High Court, but a decision on filing for appeal has not been announced.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu won last year's presidential election with a pledge to remove Indian troops from the Maldives. He began that work after assuming office on November 17, 2023, but the aircraft was operated even after that date.
On May 10, the government said 76 Indian soldiers had been withdrawn from the Maldives. They were replaced by civilian staff of an Indian government-run defence company. Adhahdu learnt that the aircraft was operated on various occasions after the civilians arrived.
At the Independence Day ceremony on July 26, Muizzu said a patient had been transported with the help of the Dornier aircraft. But the total number of trips made by the Dornier and two Indian helicopters is unknown because the government refused to provide information.
