Authorities no longer have any right to hold the two women charged with sedition and urging communal antagonism at the Suva Women Remand Centre.

This is the word from the pair’s lawyer Aman Ravindra Singh after they were not produced in Court yesterday.

According to Ravindra-Singh, legal procedures dictate that the two women, Adi Cuvu Talatoka Atama and Adi Vasemaca Gonewai were not granted an extension to their being remanded in custody when they were not presented before the courts by Police yesterday.

He says that as of 4.30pm yesterday the confinement of the pair was illegal.

“I find it rather unfortunate that they ( the women) could not be present in court today, but that brings us to the next issue at hand, and that is, since the ladies were not being able to be brought before the courts, the court has not been able to grant them an extension to their remand.”

“As far as I am concerned that under the law, after 4.30 this afternoon, now that the courts have closed down, the detention of these ladies is therefore unlawful.”

Both women were to have fronted the courts along with the 14 men from Nadroga who had appeared in the High Court yesterday.

The office of the DPP informed the court that the pair were making their way from Suva when asked why they were not present in Court.

Judge Justice Thusara Rajasinghe then stood down the matter to 3pm.

By 3pm yesterday the pair were still not presented in Court.

The matter has been adjourned to the 16th of September where a ruling on their bail application will be made.