Parliamentary committee passes bill to reduce Supreme Court bench
Preliminary debate on the bill took place on Tuesday, followed by a committee review in the evening.
The Judiciary Committee of parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to amend the Courts Act, reducing the number of Supreme Court judges from seven to five and removing two existing judges.
The bill was introduced on Sunday, with its first reading held on Monday. Preliminary debate on the bill took place on Tuesday, followed by a committee review in the evening. The committee moved to complete its work and send the bill to the parliament.
A motion to expedite the process was put forward by committee chair, Manadhoo MP Hosni Mubarak and supported by Feydhoo MP Mohamed Ismail Nizar. The motion was approved by eight votes.
Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mauroof Zakir proposed extending the deadline for completing the bill to the end of April, but the motion was rejected by eight votes.
The committee then reviewed the bill article by article, allowing members to propose amendments. MDP members submitted amendments to each article, but the People's National Congress (PNC) members voted to exclude them.
The bill was passed as proposed, with seven members voting in favour. PNC MP Anara Naeem did not vote for the bill, citing concerns over the proposed deadline. However, as she did not submit a formal proposal, the chairman did not call for a vote on her concerns.
Under the bill, once enacted, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) must submit the names of the two judges to parliament within five days. Parliament must then decide on their removal within seven days of receiving the names. The bill also provides parliament and the JSC with the authority to override existing procedural deadlines under other laws.
The proposed amendment comes as the Supreme Court considers a constitutional case that could lead to the removal of MPs from parliament based on their party affiliation. The case is being heard by the full seven-member bench.
During Tuesday's parliamentary debate, some PNC members commented on the Supreme Court proceedings, arguing that the court should not review the constitutional amendment passed by Parliament.
Many PNC MPs discussed the bill at a parliamentary group meeting on Monday. The PNC leadership directed members to support the bill later that night.
Ahead of the bill’s introduction, President Mohamed Muizzu removed his appointed JSC member, Mohammed Sameer, and replaced him with former Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) member Yazmeed Mohammed, an accounting graduate.
