The Federal Supreme Court has upheld a decision to prevent a former member of the Jurists Association from standing in elections for the organisation’s administrative council.
On April 12 2012, a decision was issued to disallow the former member from participating in the new council’s elections.
The plaintiff filed a lawsuit requesting the decision be reversed as he argued that he is an Emirati from a well-known local tribe and a practising lawyer.
Since he was a member in the former council before it was dissolved and a member of the association itself, he requested to be allowed to run in elections.
Instead, he received a letter from the executive manager of the Jurists Association saying that former members are barred from the elections.
The first instance and appeals courts both rejected his lawsuit, as did the supreme court.
The court said decision to prevent former members from running for the council, which is now called the Emirates Association for Lawyers and Legal Experts, is valid.
It said the old council was dissolved due to members involvement in political activities, such as launching the initiative “free elections for a wise ummah”.
hdajani@thenational.ae