MALÉ, Maldives — The authorities in the Maldives arrested a former president and current opposition leader, Mohamed Nasheed, on Sunday, and ordered him to stand trial on charges related to his 2012 decision to arrest a senior judge.

Mr. Nasheed’s party called for his release and supporters protested in the capital, Malé, after the arrest, in a sign that the Indian Ocean archipelago nation could be plunging into political uncertainty.

A document signed by a senior criminal court judge said Mr. Nasheed was being charged under antiterrorism laws. Television stations in the country aired scenes of the arrest.

Mr. Nasheed resigned as president in February 2012 after weeks of public protests against his order to arrest Abdulla Mohamed, chief judge of the Criminal Court. In 2013, Mr. Nasheed lost the presidential election to the current president, Yameen Abdul Gayoom, a half brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had ruled the country for 30 years.