The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has revealed that it will uphold its decision to suspend Supreme Court Justice Abdulla Didi.

The decision was made at an emergency committee meeting on Thursday night during which they briefed members about the Supreme Court’s order against taking any action in relation to a bribery case filed against its Justice, Didi.

The committee meeting was held after six members of the commission signed the emergency motion.

While the commission had on Wednesday voted to suspend Didi as they investigated a case filed against him by Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, Didi had filed a case at Supreme Court seeking to nullify the JSC’s decision, claiming it to be unconstitutional.

The committee at the meeting finalized that the Supreme Court order obstructs the commission as written under article 21(b) of the Judicial Service Act and article 159(b) of the Maldives Constitution which states that JSC has the power to investigate complaints about the judiciary and to take disciplinary action against them including recommendations for dismissal.

At the beginning of the committee meeting, a member had submitted the issue to the President of the commission, Supreme Court’s Judge Abdulla Areef. While the other members present had backed the submission, Judge Areef had left the table.

JSC’s decision to suspend the Supreme Court justice comes over the case filed by Nasheed. The former president had earlier this month submitted a complaint at the Commission, claiming that Supreme Court Justice Abdulla Didi accepted a bribe of USD one million to sentence him to prison. Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years, over terror charges, in March 2015.

Abdulla Didi was promoted to the High Court in June 2015 and then to the Supreme Court on June 28, 2018.