Two candidates vie for position of High Court Chief Judge

Two candidates have applied for the position of Chief Judge of the High Court.

The candidates who applied for the position of Chief Judge of the High Court are Judge Mohamed Niyaz and Judge Mohamed Faisal, who are currently serving in the High Court. It is noteworthy that these two are the most senior judges among the 10 judges currently working in the High Court.

Judge Mohamed Niyaz completed his higher education at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He was appointed as a High Court judge on 25 January 2018. In addition to this, Niyaz is currently serving as the Vice President of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) as well.

Faisal, who has applied for the position of Chief Judge of the High Court, is a graduate of Kulliyyathul Dhiraasathil Islamiyya. He was sworn in as a High Court judge on 24 July 2018. Faisal previously held the position of Vice President of the JSC.

JSC opened applications for the High Court bench on March 21.

The High Court Judge position became vacant after Hussain Shaheed, who was serving as the Chief Judge of the High Court, was appointed as a Supreme Court Justice on March 19.

JSC opened applications for both High Court Judge and Chief Judge positions. The opportunity to apply for High Court Judge is open until 10am on April 10. Applications for the Chief Judge position were open until 12:33pm on March 29.

The requirements for applying to be a High Court Judge include being at least 25 years old, having a first degree in Islamic Sharia or Law, and having at least five years of experience as a judge or lawyer or a combination of both.

Judge Mohamed Faisal is temporarily in charge of running the High Court. Chief Judge Shaheed was appointed to the Supreme Court following the resignation of former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Al Suood. Suood resigned after being suspended by the JSC while investigating a disciplinary case against him.