The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has signed an MoU on training and capacity building for judicial officers, with the India’s National Judicial Academy.

While a JSC delegation traveled to India to sign the MoU, it was signed on Tuesday, with its President MP Hisaan Hussain representing JSC while Director Justice G. Raghuram represented the Indian government-funded training institute.

The agreement is in line with the administration’s vow to strengthen the country’s judicial sector.

MP Hisaan thanked the Indian High Commission in Maldives, as well as the Maldives mission in India, “for facilitating this much needed training opportunities for [the] judges.”

The JSC president further said that they look forward to the opportunities to be provided under this MoU.

Noting that judicial sector reforms "is a priority area" for the government of India, its mission in Maldives expressed delight in being able to contribute to the case "through capacity building."

The JSC delegation in India includes Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath, and the team met with the India's AG K.K. Venugapol on Tuesday "to discuss future collaborations" between both nations.

JSC comprises of 10 representatives from different fields, and Hisaan is the Majlis representative. She was appointed its president in November 2019.

While judicial reform is one of incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s key pledges, Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that it “one of the most important work carried out under Maldivian Democratic Party’s parliamentary policy.”

As part of the reform work, JSC has investigated -and continues to investigate- various misconduct allegations against judges. Some of them, including four Supreme Court justices, were dismissed through the Majlis following JSC’s recommendations after probe. It is also working to tackles the issue of pending court cases.

Registered in 1993, the National Judicial Academy is an Indian government-funded training institute primarily for judicial officers.