Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Ahmed Hailam has submitted his resignation.
The Criminal Court judge submitted his resignation after the Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary approved the dismissal motion submitted to the parliament by Judicial Services Commission (JSC).
In his resignation letter, Hailam accused the dismissal motion against him unconstitutional and violates the JSC Act. He further attributed the decision to some politicians allegedly exerting influence over the Judiciary to concentrate all powers in the name of judicial reform.
After probing into his disciplinary case, JSC concluded Judge Hailam lacked the disciplinary conduct required of a judge. He was suspended from his position for a period of 60 days, following the investigations.
Judge Hailam was investigated by JSC over his controversial Victory Day greeting shared on a social media group of Criminal Court recreation club. The image portrayed President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed and those convicted for the November 3, 1988 terror attack in chains.
When summoned to JSC, Hailam declined to present himself explaining his reasons, which was deemed inappropriate by JSC. In a statement, JSC explained he was suspended due to the nature of the case as it might cause the public to lose trust in the judiciary.
JSC additionally decided to forward a motion to dismiss Chief Magistrates of Thulusdhoo Magistrate Court Ali Mohamed and Maakurathu Magistrate Court Adhunan Hussain. However, both magistrates have now submitted their resignations.