Nasheed stays in Indian mission for fourth day

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed remained holed up in the Indian Mission here for the fourth day in a row even as the country's judicial watchdog accused Indian High Commissioner D M Mullay of interfering in the judicial process.

Nasheed has remained at the High Commission since Wednesday, when he took refuge there to evade getting arrested for failing to appear in court last weekend to face charges of abuse of power while he was President.

Sources said the situation has not "changed much" since the Foreign Ministers of the two countries spoke Thursday.

Asked if the High Commission was in talks with the Maldivian government to sort out the situation, sources said talks have been on at an informal level as the mission was closed for two days for holidays and will reopen on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a watchdog responsible for justice system administration here, accused Mullay of meddling in local politics, a charge the Indian official called "totally absurd".

"We regret the interference of the High Commissioner of India in Maldives ... with the judicial process," the JSC said in a statement. It said the Indian envoy was "impeding the due process of the law" by "keeping" Nasheed within the diplomatic compound.

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