CAIRO, April 1 - RAPSI. The Egyptian High Administrative Court has rejected an appeal filed by several lawyers against former President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in February 2011, thus precluding his return to power, the court told the media on Monday.

"The court has refused to hear an appeal to recognize Mubarak's resignation as illegal and to enable his return to his post," the court said.

The ruling is thus a full-stop in the discussion of the legitimacy of Mubarak's resignation and his potential return. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

The lawsuit was based on the fact that Mubarak's resignation statement was made on national television by Vice President Omar Suleiman, while Mubarak made no such statement himself. He also never signed an official resignation document.

In early 2011, Egypt saw mass protest rallies against the incumbent regime. Upwards of a million protesters forced Mubarak's ouster amidst a series of large-scale uprisings in February 2011. He allegedly surrendered power to the vice president who made the televised announcement.