The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has said complaints filed over judges and magistrates were down nearly 43 percent last year in comparison to 2023.
JSC is an independent and impartial institution established under the Constitution, and its functions include to appoint, promote and transfer judges other than the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court and to make recommendations to the President on the appointment of the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court. The commission is also tasked with investigating complaints about the judges and to take disciplinary action against them including recommendations for dismissal.
Every year JSC receives dozens of complaints against judges and magistrates.
According to JSC’s statistics, complaints to the commission were considerably lower last year in comparison to both 2023 and 2022. In 2022, a total 390 complaints were filed while the figure in 2023 was 314.
However, in 2024, complaints to JSC were down to 179 which is a 42.99 percent decline.
A specially constituted committee examines the complaints to the JSC. Out of the complaints filed, 21 are currently before the committee while 31 have been recommended for further investigation by the committee.
So far, 149 of the cases filed with the JSC have been ruled not to be related to the misconduct of judges.
The JSC heard 43 cases last year, including 28 new cases and 15 pending before the year began.
JSC had also appointed 183 justices to the various superior, lower and magistrate courts across the country.
Statistics show that 153 male and 30 female judges were appointed last year. The number of women judges appointed last year increased by seven percent over the previous year.