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PECORD OFFICE

Reference -

TC.O.882/12

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

Ar

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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Article 75. If a Minister, other than the Prime Minister, is accused of any serious offence in the Legislative Council, such charges shall be inquired into before the following Board of Inquiry :-

(1) The Prime Minister.

(2) Officiating Chief Judge of the High Court.

(3) Attorney-General or (Government Advocate). (4) Deputy Chief Justice.

(5) Four members of the Legislative Council.

If the Prime Minister is accused of such an offence the Board shall consist of two Ministers in place of the Prime Minister, in addition to other members.

If a charge is brought against the Sultan then the Board of Inquiry shall consist in addition to the members already mentioned, two male members of the Royal family. Article 76. If the charges are proved against the persons named, then the sentence shall be in strict accordance with the Penal Code" laid down for such acts. If there is no specific rules for the offences of which the persons were charged, then the nearest rules applicable to such offences shall be applied, or new rules made to suit the, offences.

Article 77. Two-thirds of the members of the Board of Inquiry above named must confirm the punishment appropriate for such offences.

Article 78. At every combined annual meeting of the Legislative Council and the People's Assembly, the Minister of Finance shall submit the public accounts of the past year and the Budget for the ensuing year.

Article 79. Any cash balance left after the Budget is passed, the Sultan and the members of the Council of Ministers shall take an account of the cash and deposit them in the Government Treasury, To take out cash from it, the same procedure should be adopted. The three keys of the three locks of the Treasury must be kept, one key in charge of the Sultan, one key in charge of the Prime Minister, and one key in charge of the Minister of Finance. This Treasury shall be open only at the com- mand and in the presence of the Sultan.

Article 80. Administrators of Shariat law shall have absolute independence as long as they do not infringe the State laws. No one else shall interfere with their judicial work..

Article 81. Special regulations shall be framed showing the list of islands where the Shariat law officers shall have their jurisdiction, their powers, and privileges.

Article 82. Dismissal of Shariat law officers and their transference from one place to another must be done in accordance with State laws.

Article 83. In any kind of Shariat law, suitors shall have liberty to be represented by their vakils, provided they are versed in Shariat laws and the laws of the Maldives.

Article 84. Serious cases effecting exile and capital punishment must be decided before a jury.

Article 85. Before taking his seat every member of the Legislative Council shall take the following oath :-

"I swear by the Almighty God, that I shall be faithful to the Maldives, its ruler and serve the Government honestly and will be faithful to its Constitution and will not infringe the rights of the people."

Article 80. Every member of the Council of Ministers shall in addition to the oath already prescribed for them, swear to faithfully carry out the duties of the Depart- ments entrusted to his care.

Article 87. At the convocation of the annual meeting of the People's Assembly, the President, and the Vice-President shall be elected by the votes of two-thirds of its members.

Article 88. Qualifications of members of the People's Assembly:

(1) He must be twenty-five years.

(2) He must be able to speak with reason.

(3) He must be able to read and write Arabic and Maldivian characters. (4) He must have thorough knowledge of the people and place he represents. Article 89. In accordance with the rules of the Constitution for the first term

of five years, the Sultan shall nominate twenty-eight members for the Legislative Council with the advice of the Nobles and the Prime Minister from its members. Then the Prime Minister shall with the approval of the Sultan nominate other Ministers from the members of the Legislative Council.

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Administrative Departments of Government. Article 90. (1) Department of Prime Minister.

(2) Department of Minister of Defence. (3) Department of Minister of Justice (4) Department of Minister of Finance. (5) Department of Minister of Home Affairs. (6) Department of Minister of Foreign Affairs. (7) Department of Minister of Education

Department of Minister of Commerce.

Article 91.

(9) Department of Minister of Health.

(10) Department of Minister of Public Works,

(11) Department of Minister of Religious Endowments (Wakf).

(12) Department of Minister of Agriculture.

After the Sultan has given his assent to the terms of the Constitution, and the Legislative Council is formed and the Ministers are appointed, other rules and regulations shall be made.

If

Article 92. No regulations could be made against the terms of the Constitution. any modification, deletion, or addition of any clause or clauses therein are found to be necessary or any rules and modifications are found necessary against the Bills men- tioned under Article 30 such a thing could only be made at a special meeting of mem- bers of the Legislative Council, People's Assembly, the learned, the respectable people then residing in Malé in the presence of the Sultan by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the special Council.

Every Command is reserved for Allah before and after."

These copies were finished and promulgated on the 23rd day of the month of Shauban, 1351, Hijra, corresponding to 22nd December. 1932 A.D.

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Enclosure 2 in No. 11.

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE SULTAN'S ADDRESS FROM THE THRONE.

(Seal of the Sultan.) In the Name of God the Merciful and Benevolent All Praise be to Almighty God, the Most Powerful Ruler of the Universe.

We, the Sultan Muhammad Shams-ud-din Iskander, son of the late Sultan Ibrahim Noor-ud-din-Iskander, on this auspicious day and in this great Durbar, to the nobility and subjects here assembled before the Singasana (Royal Throne) of the Maldives, being overwhelmed with joy to be present on this happy occasion and to participate with my subjects in this pleasurable event, praising God and confessing our inability to adequately express our gratitude to you our subjects here assembled, pray that God may be with us and increase and prolong the happiness and prosperity which have been given to us and to all of you.

God is the Lord who fulfils all the desires of His humble creatures and Gratitude

to Him for blessings bestowed will ensure their continuity through all eternity.

For the blessings God has showered on us the humble people of this kingdom, if we ponder to think, we shall never be able to offer sufficient thanks.

In Hijra, 548 A.H., we were given a great and true religion and shown the right way to the Islamic Faith. We have been kept true to that Faith during the past 803 years, and our Kingdom has been kept in continued independence. These are great blessings.

This Kingdom has enjoyed independence up to this date and with God's help we hope that it will so continue and in the Islamic Faith.

The Maldives is a Kingdom which has been paying tribute to the great British Government and enjoyed its protection against foreign enemies.

We owe to the kindness of God the protection we have enjoyed against external enemies, as also to the help of His Prophet Muhammad, to the miracles performed by the great Saint Moulana Al Hafiz Abul Barakáthul Barbari to the conversion of the people of this Kingdom by him to the then reigning Sovereign, Sultan Muhammad son of Abdulla Sri Bawana Ditta Dharmawanta Maha Radan and to the blessings and the pure and sincere intentions of the previous 83 Muslim Sultans. We always pray to our predecessors who reigned before us.