NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court stayed the verdict of Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal's conviction in an attempt to murder case. The apex court clarified that Faizal can continue as MP. The stay was after accepting the plea filed by Mohammed Faizal against the high court order. The Supreme Court sent a notice to the central government. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Sanjay Karol informed that the case will be heard after four weeks. Kapil Sibal and K R Shashi Prabhu appeared in the court on behalf of Mohammed Faizal.

Faizal moved the Supreme Court after the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification disqualifying him for the second time. Faizal was disqualified when the Kerala High Court did not stay the verdict of him being guilty in the attempted murder case. Faizal received a setback from the Kerala High Court on Tuesday. Although the attempted murder case of 2009 froze the ten-year rigorous imprisonment sentence, the high court refused to stay the conviction. Faizal's plea was against the Kavarathi Sessions Court's verdict.

The high court had stayed the verdict of Faizal being guilty on January 25, but following the intervention of the Supreme Court, a decision was taken after a hearing again. He was disqualified in January but was reinstated as MP on March 29. The Kavarathi Sessions Court found Faizal and three others guilty for attempting to kill Mohammed Salih, son-in-law of late union minister P M Sayeed during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.