The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has on Tuesday, sent Dr. Ahmed Abdulla Didi’s name to President Abdulla Yameen for approval for the post of Chief of Justice at the Supreme Court.

Additional names passed by the JSC include High Court judge Abdul Ghani along with High Court Judge Abdulla Didi to fill the recently vacated seats at the Supreme Court bench.

The Commission had approved the High Court judges to be appointed to the Supreme Court bench at a meeting held on Tuesday.

The Constitution states that a Supreme Court justice may be elected after the JSC’s approval is sent to the parliament for approval and win the majority of parliament votes.

Dr. Ahmed Abdulla Didi has been serving as a justice of the Supreme Court since August 2010. He previously served senior positions such as Counsel General at the Parliament as well as Attorney General in 2008 when he had received a PhD.

Dr. Didi, native to Addu City’s Hithadhoo had obtained his higher education in Egypt’s Al-Azhar University and specializes in Public International Law as well as Constitutional Law.

Abdul Ghani, whose name has also been sent for approval for the Supreme Court bench, had been working as a judge at the High Court since 2004, having served as a chief judge from 2008 – 2011.

High Court Judge Abdulla Didi was appointed to the bench in June 2015 and previously served at the Gaaf Alif Dhehvadhoo and Kaafu Dhiffushi Courts as well as the Juvenile Court. He was also one of the three judges at the Criminal Court bench when former President Mohamed Nasheed’s prison sentence was issued.

The seats were vacated following the prison sentence passed on former Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed for influencing lower court verdicts.