President Muizzu Insists Courts Act Independently as He Moves to Reshape Judicial Service Commission

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced plans to restructure the Judicial Service Commission, a move he said would secure the judiciary’s independence and dismantle entrenched practices of political interference.

Speaking to residents of the Henveyru district in Malé City, President Muizzu underscored his commitment to non-interference in the justice sector, declaring that his administration rejects political vindictiveness and is intent on ending the influence of external actors on court proceedings.

He insisted that neither he nor any government official has directed judges to detain political figures. As evidence of judicial autonomy, he pointed to the strict enforcement of drug-related offences, noting that courts are now operating without the climate of fear that previously constrained the administration of justice.

President Muizzu confirmed that legislative amendments will be introduced to alter the commission’s composition, stressing that the public must be able to witness the judiciary functioning freely in its true sense. He described the initiative as the fulfilment of a central campaign pledge concerning the body’s makeup.

The administration is also pursuing broader support measures for the ten-member commission and the wider legal sector, including a specialised sectoral budget in the coming year to address systemic challenges, alongside recent pay harmonisation efforts that have improved compensation for judicial staff.