Former FijiFirst party MP Vijendra Prakash has other options to pursue his constitutional redress application. This information was presented by Yovin Naidu, a lawyer representing the Office of the Attorney-General, during a hearing aimed at dismissing the application. The case was reviewed by Justice Pita Bulamainaivalu at the High Court in Suva yesterday.
Naidu argued that the application was an abuse of the court’s process, contending that constitutional redress should only be sought after all alternative remedies have been exhausted, which he claimed Prakash had not done. He noted that an earlier appeal from Prakash was rejected by the Court of Appeal on July 26 of this year.
When Justice Bulamainaivalu inquired whether the matter could be escalated to the Supreme Court, Naidu confirmed that this option was indeed available.
On the other hand, defense attorney Siddharth Nandan stated that the court has the discretion to entertain the application, even if a remedy is accessible. “The Constitution does not prevent any applicant from approaching the court for relief,” Nandan explained.
Justice Bulamainaivalu is expected to issue a ruling on the constitutional redress action in due course.