World News | Maldives Parliament Passes Amendment to Reduce Supreme Court Judges Number, Suspends Three Judges
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The Maldives Parliament on Wednesday passed an amendment to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges from seven to five and hours later three top judges were suspended prompting the main opposition to allege misuse of the ruling party's majority.
Male, Feb 26 (PTI) The Maldives Parliament on Wednesday passed an amendment to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges from seven to five and hours later three top judges were suspended prompting the main opposition to allege misuse of the ruling party's majority.
The suspension of the judges came shortly before a hearing on a petition to quash the constitutional amendment that disqualifies MPs for changing political parties was to take place, local media reports said.
A row erupted in Parliament as the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) accused the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) of using its absolute majority to completely disregard the concerns raised by Counsel General Fathima Filza regarding the bill.
The Parliament took the floor vote on the bill on Wednesday morning after ejecting three parliamentarians from the MDP and the bill was passed with a majority vote of 68-9, news portal Sun.mv said.
“This legislative change, according to the bill, seeks to align the judiciary more closely with the nation's constitutional principles and ensure it serves the best interests of the people,” Public Service Media (PSM News), the state-run news agency, said.
“As the highest judicial authority in the Maldives, the Supreme Court wields considerable influence over the nation's legal framework,” the PSM News added.
The newly passed amendment mandates that the Supreme Court bench consist of five justices, including the Chief Justice. “Additionally, the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) is now tasked with recommending the removal of any justice deemed unfit for their role, with such recommendations submitted to parliament,” it said, adding, a two-thirds majority vote in parliament is required to remove a justice.
Accordingly, hours later, the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) announced the suspension of three Supreme Court justices: Justice Dr Azmiralda Zahir, Justice Mahaz Ali Zahir, and Justice Husnu Al Suood.
These suspensions were confirmed by the JSC to PSM News as “a consequence of an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) pursuant to Section 25(o) of the Judicial Services Commission Act.”
Earlier in November 2024, a subsection was added to Article 73 of the Constitution, specifying new conditions for the removal of MPs, prompting former Kendhoo MP Ali Hussain to petition the court to quash the amendment, newsportal Adhadu.com said.
A hearing of the constitutional case was scheduled for 11:00 am on Wednesday after Ali requested the court to issue an interim order to suspend procedures for MP disqualification until a final decision is reached in the case, it added.
The justices were suspended without ratifying the new bill, the portal said, adding, “Last night, Counsel General Fathimath Filza advised that it is unfair to investigate and dismiss a judge solely for the purpose of the bill.”
Opposition and legal experts have said the bill is unconstitutional and its only purpose is to exert the government's influence on the courts, it added.
Sun.mv said that the amendment to the Judicature Act was submitted on Sunday night and the bill was presented, debated on and accepted into the Parliament on Tuesday.
Counsel General Filza noted that downsizing the Supreme Court's bench would mean that two justices would need to be removed. She questioned whether removing the justices without giving them a chance to defend themselves is fair, it said.
Filza opined that if Supreme Court justices, who the JSC has not raised competency questions regarding, are to be removed due to a legislature to downsize the court's bench, it creates a situation where the justices' competency is called into question, the news portal said.
“The Judiciary Committee reconvened for an emergency meeting again on Tuesday night after it received Filza's comments regarding the bill," the portal added.
Anara Naeem, the deputy chair of the Judiciary Committee, had on Tuesday declared to abstain from the vote but on Wednesday voted in favour of the bill, a media report said, adding, “The reversal in her stand came after the PNC threatened disciplinary action against parliamentarians who fail to back the bill.”
However, another PNC politician, Ahmed Azaan Marzooq, walked out as voting began, the report pointed out.
Sun.mv said that the opposition parties, including the MDP and The Democrats questioned the timing of the bill, and accused the government of attempting to influence the country's highest judicial authority and subvert judicial independence.
Meanwhile, the PSMNews said the composition of the Supreme Court has fluctuated over the years and added that initially, the bench comprised five justices.
“This number increased to seven upon the establishment of the permanent Supreme Court in 2010. The count was reduced back to five in 2014 under former President Abdulla Yameen's administration, only to be increased to seven again during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's tenure,” the PSM News added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)