d) Maldivian National Defense Force (MNDF) confiscated the keys to the Supreme Court pending the conclusion of the interim period of the Constitution and took control of the Supreme Court premises.37 86. Some lawyers have expressed their concern to HRCM on the issue of Parliament influencing the judiciary, in particular, the process of the appointment of the Supreme Court bench. The lawyers suspected that the then governing party (Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)) and the main opposition party (Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP)) came into terms to appoint equal number of judges to represent both parties on the bench.. 87. The State party should be accountable for the inappropriate interference of the Executive and Legislature to the Judiciary and make sure that no such interferences happen in the future. 88. There are incidences where the executive, the legislature, as well as other authorities refuse to respect and abide by the rulings and decisions of the judiciary, if the court rules against them. a) On January 16, 2012, Maldives National Defence Force arrested the Chief Judge of Criminal Court of the Maldives, and refused to obey court orders from Criminal Court, High Court and the Supreme Court to release the judge. The Judge was kept in detention for 21 days without charge. b) On 15 July 2010, Opposition Member of Parliament was detained by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and placed under ‘protective custody’, which was later pronounced as unconstitutional by Chief Judge of Civil Court. His lawyers requested and obtained a writ of habeas corpus but the MDNF refused to obey the court order. c) In July 2010, police criticized in the media about the criminal court judges who suspended two police lawyers due to contempt of court,38 as they represented police in court cases of two Parliament Members. 89. The State party should take appropriate actions to ensure that court rulings are respected by all citizens in the jurisdiction of the State without exception. Chapter: Article 14: Equality before the Law & Article 26: Legal Protection of the Law Non Abiding Court Rulings 42