Applications open for Supreme Court bench

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has opened applications for two vacant positions on the Supreme Court bench.

In an announcement made on Saturday, JSC stated that those interested in applying for the positions on the Supreme Court bench can do so until 12pm of May 22.

Eligibility for Supreme Court judges includes being at least 30 years old, having a first degree in law or Islamic Shariah, and having seven years of experience in the field. Other qualifications for the position are included in the gazetted announcement.

JSC has requested that judge applications be submitted through the Fahires Portal of the commission.

While the Supreme Court bench consists of seven judges, two positions became vacant after Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir were dismissed from their positions.

In the parliamentary vote for the dismissal of the judges, 68 lawmakers voted in favor of dismissing Azmiralda and Mahaz, while 11 lawmakers belonging to the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against it.

JSC launched an abrupt investigation into some judges on the Supreme Court bench after the court started reviewing the constitutional amendment that allows political parties to remove lawmakers from their seats for floor crossing.

After JSC decided to dismiss the two judges and sent the decision to the People's Majlis, parliament approved their dismissal on May 14.

The commission decided to dismiss the judges in a case where Azmiralda and Mahaz were accused of influencing Criminal Court judges to release Dr. Ismail Latheef, Azmiralda's husband and a doctor at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), before he was to be arrested and detained following his arrest at a massage parlor.

The United Nations, international organizations, and bar associations from various countries have expressed concern about how the case was handled.