JSC President Riza resigns after controversial tenure

Hussain Riza Adam, MP for Maafushi constituency, has resigned as President of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), ending a brief and contentious tenure.

Riza, appointed to JSC as the parliament’s representative, was elected president on June 12. His resignation, the reasons for which remain undisclosed, automatically vacates both his membership on the Commission and the presidency.

The move comes shortly after the recent election of Yazmeed Mohamed as Vice President, following High Court Judge Mohamed Niyaz’s resignation from that post. With Riza’s departure, Yazmeed now becomes the most senior official in the commission.

Riza’s term was marked by controversy, most notably JSC’s decision under his leadership to dismiss three sitting Supreme Court judges, Azmiralda Zahir, Mahaz Ali Zahir, and Husnu Al Suood. The decision drew widespread criticism from across the political and legal spectrum. Suood later resigned voluntarily, further deepening the turbulence surrounding the Commission.

Following Riza’s resignation, JSC now comprises Vice President Yazmeed Mohamed, Speaker of Parliament Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Supreme Court Judge Hussain Shaheed, High Court Judge Mohamed Niyaz, Lower Court Judge Farhad Rasheed, public representative Idrees Fauzy, Civil Service Commission President Mohamed Mujthaba, Attorney General Ahmed Usham, and legal practitioners’ representative Ali Abdul Latheef.