Court orders removal of Dhauru article in MP Azaan's defamation case

The Civil Court has issued an interim injunction ordering the removal of a news article published by Dhauru following a defamation lawsuit filed by Hithadhoo North MP Ahmed Azaan.

Azaan, who previously worked as a journalist before entering Parliament, filed the case over an article published on 28 May under the headline "Police Raid on 'Adhadhu' and the Experience of Azaan." He alleges that the publication damaged his reputation and is seeking compensation.

As part of the case, Azaan requested a temporary order requiring the article's publication status to be changed to "draft", preventing public access to the content until the conclusion of the trial.

The court ruled on the request on Wednesday and granted the order.

In the ruling issued by Civil Court Judge Ali Abdulla, the court noted that changing the article's status to draft would not amount to deleting the content. The order also stated that documents and submissions presented by both parties showed that the article would remain accessible to readers if no action was taken.

The court further stated that a preliminary review of the case indicated the existence of a right claimed by the plaintiff that required protection before a final judgment is delivered.

According to the ruling, the court did not find that changing the article's status or making it inaccessible would cause undue harm to the defendant.

The court therefore granted the injunction as requested by Azaan.

Following the order, the article was removed from the Dhauru website.

In the lawsuit, Azaan is seeking MVR 5,000 in damages for alleged defamation. He is also seeking MVR 28,670 in legal costs, in addition to reimbursement of the court filing fee.

The defamation case remains pending before the Civil Court.