Dismissal report sent, judges ordered to respond

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC)'s investigative team has sent the report recommending the dismissal of Supreme Court Justices Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir, and ordered the judges to respond.

The report was sent to the judges on April 17. As JSC has instructed that the response period should include holidays, the judges must respond to JSC before April 24.

According to JSC’s law, judges have seven days to respond to a committee-approved report. After the judges respond within the allocated time, JSC will hold an additional hearing considering the judges' response, after which the commission will make a final decision on the matter.

The Judicial Service Commission's investigative team decided to dismiss Supreme Court Justices Azmiralda Zahir and Ali Mahaz Ali Zahir on April 17.

The decision was made in the final investigation report compiled by the committee on the case alleging that Azmiralda and Mahaz influenced a detention order for Azmiralda's husband, Ismail Latheef, at a JSC meeting held on April 17.

JSC is also investigating a case where Azmiralda, Judge Mahaz, and former judge Husnu Al Suood presided over a case where former High Court Assistant Registrar Hussain Mohamed Haneef was summoned to the Supreme Court, and Suood spoke using abusive language.

While a case was ongoing at the Supreme Court regarding the constitutional amendment brought using the parliament's supermajority to allow a small committee within the PNC to dismiss members if desired, the Judicial Service Commission held an emergency meeting at the direction of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and suspended three Supreme Court justices.

Supreme Court Justices Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Husnu Al Suood, and Mahaz Ali Zahir were suspended on 26 February 2025, while they were in the courtroom after scheduling a hearing on a case submitted to the court requesting an interim order on the matter of dismissing lawmakers for floor crossing. The three justices were suspended within 10 minutes after JSC held an emergency meeting and made the decision.

Subsequently, on 4 March 2025, Suood resigned, stating that President Muizzu had violated the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives. JSC is now investigating the cases of Judge Mahaz Ali Zahir and Dr. Azmiralda Zahir.

As the Supreme Court currently stands, constitutional cases can only be heard by a full bench comprising all seven justices. After Suood's resignation, Hussain Shaheed was appointed to replace him shortly after. This means that the Supreme Court bench currently consists of five judges.

While the government allegedly plotted to suspend three judges to halt a major constitutional case submitted to the Supreme Court, several lawyers in the Bar Council have also expressed concern about how the Bar Council member in JSC voted.