Supreme Court justices face censure for taking over case

A committee of the Judicial Service Commission that probed complaints recommended advising Chief Justice Dr Ahmed Abdulla Didi, Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla and Justice Abdulla Areef.

The oversight body did not disclose the nature of the complaints. But Nasheed – who is a JSC member by virtue of office – revealed at the start of Tuesday’s sitting of parliament that it involved the justices taking over a case that was ongoing at a court of first instance.

The controversial practice of taking over cases under “supervisory jurisdiction” contravenes a core constitutional principle, which guarantees the right to appeal lower court decisions at both the High Court and Supreme Court, Nasheed said.