Jakarta Court Dismisses Lawsuit Over Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s Equivalency Letter
Gibran Rakabuming’s high school equivalency letter dispute collapsed on Thursday as the Jakarta State Administrative Court dismissed PT Mercy Toga Kirana’s lawsuit and ruled that no further legal remedies remain.
Chief judge Rachmadi declared the lawsuit null and void at the Jakarta State Administrative Court, ordering the plaintiff to pay Rp 457,000 in court fees. The dismissal terminates proceedings because the Supreme Court previously issued a binding ruling that invalidated the educational equivalency letter, which served as the core object of the dispute. PT Mercy Toga Kirana’s lawsuit, registered under case number 255/G/2026/PTUN.JKT, began with a hearing opened at 10.00.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education formally revoked the overseas high school equivalency letter as a direct follow-up to the Supreme Court decision. Rachmadi said that continuing the trial would render any subsequent ruling entirely meaningless.
“Majelis Hakim berpendapat bahwa pemeriksaan terhadap objek sengketa a quo telah memenuhi seluruh unsur kewenangan peradilan tata usaha negara sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Pasal 47 Undang-Undang Peradilan Tata Usaha Negara.”
said Rachmadi, chief judge at the Jakarta State Administrative Court.
Supreme Court Ruling Invalidates 2019 Equivalency Document
The legal framework surrounding the dispute shifted fundamentally when the Supreme Court issued its ruling in favor of challenger Subhan Palal, invalidating the 2019 equivalency document. Minister of Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra explained that the cancellation removes any legal basis for the disputed letter’s validity.
Yusril said that the Directorate General of Middle and Specific Education issued Decree Number 206 of 2026 on November 11, 2026, officially revoking the prior equivalency letter. Government communications head Syahganda Nainggolan emphasized that the high court’s decision leaves no procedural avenue for further challenges, as reported by ANTARA.
“Surat Keterangan itu sudah dicabut dan putusan MA sudah final. Dengan demikian, penyetaraan pendidikan Pak Gibran batal dan surat keterangan tersebut tidak lagi mempunyai kekuatan hukum mengikat.”
said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections.
Standing and Legal Limitations on Appeals
Legal experts outlined strict procedural boundaries regarding who holds the authority to challenge administrative rulings of this nature. Nasarudin Tianotak, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Pattimura University, explained to Hukumonline that Gibran lacked the necessary legal standing to personally file for a judicial review against the Supreme Court’s ruling because he was not a direct party to the initial cassation case.
Nasarudin said that an individual’s practical interest in a document’s outcome does not automatically grant procedural authority to initiate extraordinary legal reviews. Yusril reinforced this perspective, pointing out that constitutional court precedents restrict the right to file judicial review petitions in state administrative matters exclusively to plaintiffs, leaving government defendants without that specific recourse.
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“Kami akan segera mungkin untuk melaporkan hasil persidangan hari ini, putusan yang telah dibacakan oleh majelis hakim untuk bagaimana nanti hasil dari beliau juga ya, arahan dari beliau seperti apa.”