The Civil Court has upheld the dismissal of a police officer involved in an incident where a detainee was scalded with boiling water.
The incident occurred at Maafannu Police Station on August 18, 2021. Sergeant Mohamed Areesh, who was dismissed for attempting to cover up the facts of the case despite being present during the assault, filed the lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
During the investigation into the scalding, Areesh maintained that he did not witness the incident and was unaware that it had occurred. The detainee had been moved to an area out of CCTV range before the hot water was poured on him.
However, investigators obtained CCTV footage showing Areesh present at the scene when the assault took place. In court, Areesh’s legal team argued that the state was attempting to misinterpret the video evidence.
The court ruled that Areesh’s dismissal followed both substantive and procedural fairness. The judgment stated there were no grounds to determine that the decision to terminate his employment was unlawful.
The state has charged 15 police officers with acts of torture in connection with the scalding of the detainee. The trial for the case commenced at the Criminal Court in October 2023.
