Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary approves the motion submitted to increase the number of judges at the Supreme Court of Maldives from 5 to 7.
The motion was approved as it was proposed by the government, although the committee asked for advice from Ministry of Finance on the extra finances and cost when the change comes in to effect. In a letter, finance ministry mentioned the extra cost for the additional two judges at the Supreme Court, including housing allowance, office allowance, administrative allowance and a car provided by the state.
After reviewing the extra expenses the state will have to bear, the members of the committee expressed alarm on the exceeding costs and the benefits that are provided to Supreme Court judges. However, referring to the importance of reforming the judiciary and increasing the judges at Supreme Court is a crucial step, the members of the committee decided to approve the motion submitted by the government.
Over the years, the number of judges at the Supreme Court has varied from 5 and 7. The last change was brought in December 2014, when the number was decreased from 7 to 5.