Weekend roundup: tension escalates between watchdog and Supreme Court
A roundup of the top stories over the weekend.
02 Nov 2019, 9:00 AM
The judicial watchdog has warned the Supreme Court against any move to undermine or refuse to comply with recent changes made to the Judicial Service Commission Act, which brought back the Department of Judicial Administration under the oversight body.
The DJA, which is tasked with management of the courts, was brought under the direct control of the Supreme Court in May 2014. The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party-dominated parliament amended the JSC law in late August for the department to function under the watchdog. The amendments also state that courts cannot review any disciplinary action taken against a judge by the watchdog.
The 10-member commission called an emergency meeting on Friday night upon learning that the Judicial Council formed by the Supreme Court was planning to decide either not to comply with the legal changes, refuse to accept it or undermine the revised law.
If such a decision was made, the JSC decided to launch disciplinary proceedings against judges who participated in the Judicial Council’s meeting. The Supreme Court’s secretary-general Dr Hussain Faiz told newspaper Mihaaru on Saturday that he was not informed of the meeting and was unaware of any decisions made.
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