Panel Established to Appoint Judges and Magistrates

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of the Maldives has established a special panel to undertake the task of appointing Judges to Superior Courts and Magistrates Courts, and the task has already been delegated to the newly instituted panel.

A Press Release issued by the JSC said that the decision to create a special panel for appointment of judges and magistrates was made during a meeting held last Thursday. According to the report, the panel constituted of six of the sitting members of JSC. Adam Mohammed Abdullah, the President of JSC, Qasim Ibrahim, Abdullah Didi, Abdullah Muizz, Shuaib Abd al-Rahman, and Ahmed Rasheed were the members included in the panel.

JSC Press Release stated that the panel has been established to respond to concerns expressed by the Supreme Court over shortage of judges and magistrates in some Superior Courts and Magistrate Courts, and that the Panel would soon begin the process of appointing Judges and Magistrates to those courts. Also, the Panel has been assigned the task of determining the number of Judges to sit in the Superior Courts as per the requirements of the Courts Act 2011, and the panel is expected to do a study and prepare a report on the issue by 15th August 2011.