The High Court in Blantyre on Tuesday ordered the Inspector General of Police Rodney Jose not to proceed with any disciplinary action on 40 police officers for absconding work.

The police officers were removed from the vice president Saulos Chilima’s security detail last year in a move that was deemed as political following the falling out between Chilima and President Peter Mutharika.

The permission to commence a judicial review to see whether the officers should be removed from VP’s  security detail on not was granted in late September last year and since then the officers involved have not been reporting for duties.

The stay order by the High Court means that the disciplinary action will take place pending an inter party hearing where both the Malawi Police Service through its top boss and the law enforcers involved will be in attendance.

According to  a court document that YFM has seen, the High Court has directed the inspector general to take steps to ensure that the disciplinary proceedings against the 40 law enforcers are suspended immediately.

Meanwhile, the court said Jose has a right to ask the same court to discharge the stay order but it has warned that failure to adhere to the current order will be contempt of court.