"Not informed of Judicial Commission meeting or final decision"; Supreme Court SG

The supreme court's secretary-general Dr. Hassan Faiz has stated that he was not informed of the Judicial Commission meeting held this Friday.

In response to rumors of members of the judicial council being uninformed of the Judicial Commission meeting held this Friday, Dr. Hassan Faiz revealed to RaajjeMV that he was also not informed of the meeting until later that night. He further stated any decisions taken during the meeting have also not been communicated to him.

In addition to the chief justice, the judicial council comprises of Supreme Court judges, senior High Court and Superior Court judges as well as the senior magistrate of Addu City Hithadhoo and Ha.Dhihdhoo.

The sudden judicial council meeting was held amidst ongoing disciplinary hearings by the Judicial Service Commission of three supreme court judges including the chief justice.

According to Dr.Faiz, he was not officially informed of the meeting however regulations dictate that everyone must be notified.

He further stated that such administrative tasks fall under the jurisdiction of the courts' secretary-general or registrar according to the current Judicial Service Commission (JSC) regulations.

Likewise, the secretary-general must be notified if the court is operating out of official working hours. Nevertheless, he was notified much later that night after the meeting concluded.

As part of the efforts to reform the Maldivian judicial system, the current administration has made major revisions to JSC regulations and transferred authority of the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) from the supreme court to the JSC in addition to establishing the 19th Parliament Judiciary Committee. Additionally, the revised regulations state that the courts cannot access cases against any judge being probed by the JSC.

The JSC is tasked with oversight of disciplinary issues of judges as well as advising the president on the appointment and termination of judges from their position.

Members of the supreme court bench have voiced their disapproval of the revised regulations and challenged the JSC's authority to conduct the disciplinary probe made into two of their members.

The Judiciary Committee and JSC also held separate meetings following the judicial council meeting on Friday.

After the meetings, JSC released a public statement stating that they will investigate any judge involved in making judicial council decisions that go against the revised judiciary legislation whereas the judiciary committee resolved to consult the JSC and DJA.