Supreme Court guilty of 17 violations of law: JSC report

Judicial Service Commission (JSC)’s report on the Supreme Court has highlighted 17 of the court’s actions that had violated the Constitution and law.

JSC’s report was on the Supreme Court’s obstruction of the powers of other institutions.

The report, which was heard in parliament, states that the Supreme Court has narrowed the powers of the parliament and JSC, and obstructed their work.

The report states that the Supreme Court nullified Article 21(e) of the Judicial Service Commission Act and 82 to 94 of the Judicature Act, as well as taking it upon itself to oversee administrative work and regulating the work of lawyers.

It also states that the Supreme Court had banned lawyers from representing clients in court, reduced the deadline of appeal, repeatedly transferred judges to different courts, and unlawfully suspended a judge.

JSC’s report states that the Supreme Court had also found former Elections Commission chief Fuad Thaufeeq and deputy chief Ahmed Fayaz Hassan guilty of criminal charges and dismissed them, nullified the powers of the human rights commission by setting their own guidelines for the commission.

It also states that Supreme Court nullified the parliament’s decision to dismiss former Civil Service Commission chief Mohamed Fahmy Hassan.

Highlighting that the Supreme Court had ordered JSC to stop evaluating judges, the report states that it had also made it legal to dismiss any MP that switches parties and made it so that the Supreme Court has to approve any no-confidence motion passed in parliament.

The report also notes that the Supreme Court nullified parts of its own order issued on February 1, 2018, and set rules and regulations to the lower courts and its judges.

It adds that the Supreme Court accepted the appeal on the not-guilty verdict on former speaker Ahmed Nazim, way past the deadline of appeal, and found him guilty, adding that the court nullified its own sentence three years later.