A constitutional case has been submitted to the High Court seeking to revoke the city status of Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo, alleging that its population falls below the required threshold of 10,000.

Thinadhoo was granted city status during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration as part of his presidential campaign. At the time, the island’s population was reported to be approximately 8,000, with about 5,000 residents living there.

Under the Decentralization of Administrative Areas Act, a minimum population of 10,000 is required for city status. The petition, filed by Mohamed Raghib, a lawyer and Deputy Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy, claims that Thinadhoo’s city designation was based on fraudulent data.

Speaking to Mihaaru News, Raghib alleged that the council had submitted falsified population figures to meet the legal requirement. "From my investigation, the list includes people who passed away years ago, duplicate entries with altered ID numbers, and repeated entries with different ID cards. It is an illegal list," he stated.

Raghib further revealed that a request under the Access to Information Act to the Department of National Registration (DNR) found Thinadhoo’s current population to be approximately 7,000. He called for an investigation into the Thinadhoo council and former President Solih, accusing them of forgery and submitting false information to a government authority. He also demanded the annulment of Thinadhoo's city status.

Former President Solih had ratified the city status, asserting that all criteria under the Decentralization Act had been met.

The High Court has yet to decide whether it will accept the case, which was filed on Thursday.

Currently, the Maldives has five cities: Malé, Addu, Fuvahmulah, Kulhudhuffushi, and Thinadhoo.