JSC Seeks SC Judges as Amended Judicature Law Not Yet Ratified
Photo: Supreme Court
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) said they are looking to fill the recently vacated Supreme Court judge position despite the recent amendment to the Judicature Act that reduces the number of judges on the Supreme Court bench as the president has not yet ratified the act.
Yesterday, JSC announced that they were looking to fill the Supreme Court judge position.
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Director of the Commission Bureau Mihaya Ahmed told MV+ that they were looking to fill the position as the amendment to the Judicature Act has not been ratified.
“As long as the [amended] law is not ratified by the president, we will be following the laws currently in place. We announced for a judge [to fill the position] for this reason,” Mihaya said in Dhivehi.
Last Tuesday, Justice Husnu Al Suood resigned from his position as a Supreme Court judge in protest of the current handling of the courts. He accused the executive branch of the government, including President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, of interfering with the judiciary. His resignation followed the suspension of him and two other Supreme Court justices by the JSC, which cited an ongoing criminal investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Judicature Act Amendments
On February 24, People’s National Congress (PNC) MP Abdul Sattar Mohamed independently submitted amendments to the Judicature Act, aiming to reduce the number of justices on the Supreme Court from seven to five. Two days later, the parliament passed the amendment, with 68 votes in favour and nine against.
The opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) has accused the parliament of approving this move to influence the ongoing case at the Supreme Court. The case concerns amendments to the Maldivian constitution, which would allow parliamentarians to lose their seat if they are dismissed or resign from the party they were elected with. This amendment also applies to independently elected parliamentarians who later join a political party while representing their constituency.
