The High Court has reversed a lower court's ruling to detain a man charged with violently taking a woman into the forest and assaulting her sexually.

The event allegedly took place in early February on an island located south of Malé. The case report states that the suspect allegedly compelled a local woman onto his motorcycle, transported her to a remote forested location, and sexually assaulted her.

The report reveals that the event occurred on the evening of February 4. The man was taken into custody the next day based on a court directive.

At the first remand hearing on February 6, the lower court found enough evidence to back the claims and decreed that the suspect should be held for 30 days. The person, with no previous criminal history, subsequently contested the remand order in the High Court.

The suspect contended in his appeal that according to the Criminal Procedure Act, an individual cannot be held in remand for over 15 days consecutively. The prosecution concurred with the argument, recognizing the legal inconsistency and asking the court to nullify the lower court’s ruling.

A High Court bench of three judges, including Ibrahim Mahir, Ismail Shafeeu, and Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, collectively decided to reverse the remand order given by the lower court. The ruling was announced on Thursday by Judge Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, who presided over the bench.