The work of the Civil and Criminal Courts will accelerate with the addition of newly appointed judges to these benches, Husnee Mubarik, president of the Judicial Service Commission and member of parliament for Manadhoo, has stated. The remarks were delivered during an official ceremony held to swear in the new judges to their respective courts.
The decision by the commission to expand both benches was driven by a rising caseload and an increasing backlog that had created significant bottlenecks and hindered the timely administration of justice, Husnee explained. During the first six months of the year, the Civil Court received 1,913 new cases, representing an average monthly load of 18 cases for each of its 17 sitting judges, while facing a backlog of 3,218 unresolved cases that prompted expanding the bench to 19 seats. The Criminal Court experienced similar strain, receiving 1,098 new cases over the same period, averaging 15 cases monthly for each of its 13 sitting judges, with 1,626 cases remaining pending.
Observing that the pace of case resolutions has already shown improvement since the Criminal Court was relocated to Hulhumalé, Husnee urged judges across all benches to work diligently to preserve public confidence in the judicial branch. "The judiciary resolves a large number of cases and achieves results through the courts," Husnee stated.
He continued, "However, in order to maintain public confidence in the judiciary, the most important task we must undertake is to resolve long-standing cases. In particular, this requires resolving, in an expedited manner, cases that have been pending for more than five years and those that have been outstanding for over three years." A failure to deliver timely justice threatens to devalue the integrity of the judiciary, the commission president warned, calling on the judges to focus on clearing aged backlogs before the end of the year.
Among the Civil Court appointees, Judge Mohamed Nishath brings over 15 years of legal experience as former Chief Magistrate of the Kanduhulhudhoo Magistrate Court, while Judge Asiya Azeema holds a Master of Laws from the University of Birmingham and previously served as Deputy Director of Legal Affairs for Parliament. Appointed to the Criminal Court, Judge Sulaiman Mohamed has served 12 years in the judiciary, most recently as Chief Magistrate of the Kurendhoo Magistrate Court; Judge Ahmed Thaufeeq possesses over 18 years of legal experience as a former Senior Public Prosecutor; and Judge Mohamed Abdulla brings over eight years of service as a Senior Public Prosecutor.