A man prosecuted for vandalizing property inside a mosque in Malé has walked free immediately following his conviction, after the Criminal Court determined that his time spent in pre-trial detention exceeded the prison sentence imposed on him.
The court found Naushad Moosa guilty of damaging mosque property and sentenced him on November 1 to one month and 15 days of imprisonment. However, under the court order issued to hold him in pre-trial custody until the conclusion of the trial, Naushad had already spent one month and 21 days in detention.
In accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act, the period an individual serves in custody pending trial must be fully credited against their final sentence. Because the time he served in remand eclipsed the prison term delivered by the bench, the court concluded that he had no remaining sentence left to serve.
Naushad has been repeatedly taken into police custody in connection with multiple previous infractions across mosques in the capital, including desecration, causing public disturbances, and property damage, alongside past criminal records related to illicit narcotics and theft.
With his penalty legally satisfied on the day of sentencing, the Criminal Court nullified the detention order against Naushad, clearing the way for his immediate release.