AG submits bills to reform judicial watchdog without politicians
Riffath said judicial reform is one of the most important promises made by the government in the field of social justice.
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By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
The Attorney General’s Office (AG) on Monday sent bills to amend the constitution and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Act to change the composition of the judicial watchdog so that it does not include politicians.
In a tweet announcing the submission, AG Ibrahim Riffath said the main amendments in the two bills to change the composition of the JSC are:
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To reduce the number of JSC members from 10 to seven; it will no longer have a presidential representative, parliament speaker, chair of the Civil Service Commission
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The proposal was made after consultation with the judiciary, other stakeholders, the legal profession, civil society and the public to find the most appropriate way to prevent other state powers from influencing the judiciary, he said
The JSC is currently composed of:
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1-
Speaker o parliament
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2-
A member appointed from among the members of parliament
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3-
A person appointed by parliament from among the public
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4-
A person appointed by the president
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5-
Attorney General
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6-
A lawyer elected from among lawyers
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7-
Chair of the Civil Service Commission
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8-
A judge other than the Chief Justice, elected by the Supreme Court from among its judges
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9-
A judge elected by the High Court from among the judges
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10-
A judge elected by the lower courts from among the judges
Riffath said judicial reform is one of the most important pledges made by the government in the field of social justice. He said the work started in 2019 and nine bills have been submitted so far.
“With today's two bills, this reform work has been completed,” Riffath said.
Changing the formation of the JSC is a presidential pledge. Some people are concerned about the delay.
Last December, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said he would send the amendments as soon as parliament opens this year. But the two bills were introduced by the government on Monday, moments after speaker Mohamed Nasheed had announced that the second term of this year would no longer continue due to the prolonged deadlock.
