President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has revealed the bill to reform the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will be introduced to the Parliament during the next session.
Reviewing the composition of the JSC and amending the constitution is one of the key pledges made by the government to reform the judiciary of the Maldives. Therefore, the government is now in the process of making the necessary changes to the JSC and relevant discussions are underway.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has held discussions with relevant agencies and civil society organisations. The AGO also sought public opinion on JSC reform.
Responding to a question about the JSC composition, President Solih said efforts are underway to introduce the bill in the first session of the Parliament starting next year after consulting all stakeholders.
A total of 115 people from the public responded to questions by the AGO on the proposed amendments to the JSC. Out of these, 91.3% said the composition of the JSC should be reformed. The public has also expressed concern over the presence of the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General in the JSC.
AGO said the bill will include amendments to Article 157 of the constitution, in accordance with relevant international norms and principles to ensure that the JSC is free from biased political influence.