Parliament of Maldives has amended the Judicature Act of Maldives to increase the number of judges at Supreme Court of Maldives.
The amendment proposed by the government to increase the number of judges at Supreme Court from 5 to 7 was passed by a vast majority of 74 votes. The vote took place after the Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary approved the proposal submitted by the government.
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 to the committee, the finance ministry mentioned the change would not affect the financial capacity of the state.
The state pays USD 242,422 for each judge at the Supreme Court, according to the ministry. The expenses include 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 proposal 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.