Justice in Dock

The independence of the judiciary is often seen as the backbone of any democracy. In the Maldives, however, that backbone is under severe strain. The country now finds itself at a crossroads as concerns grow over executive overreach and a judiciary under fire. The recent suspension of three Supreme Court judges has sparked widespread criticism. It raises serious questions about the state of judicial independence under President Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.

To understand the context of this crisis, one must first consider the unique nature of the Maldives. The Maldives is a tiny nation with a population of less than 0.6 million and an area of less than 150 square miles. It is an archipelago, meaning it spreads over a thousand islands. While it is a tiny country located to the south of India and in a strategically important location, its internal politics remain plagued with several issues as the political parties prey on power with polarized narratives.

This polarization became especially evident during the recent elections. Mohamed Muizzu came to power in the last elections on the India Out campaign in 2023. His victory meant the ouster of Indian troops from the land of the Maldives. While he largely succeeded in balancing his country’s relations with both India and China, it is the matter of judicial independence that has brought his government and party into the limelight.

These concerns deepened dramatically on February 26, 2025, when the Judicial Service Commission of the Maldives (JSC) suspended three Supreme Court judges: Husnu Al-Suood, Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, and Mahaz Ali Zahir, citing an ongoing criminal investigation against them. For this matter, the JSC forwarded its recommendations to the Judicial Parliamentary Committee to dismiss the judges, saying that its disciplinary committee had found the judges guilty of influencing the proceedings of cases ongoing against them.

However, on March 4, Husnu Al-Suood resigned from his post to protest his suspension. With his resignation, the committee is going to decide on the dismissal of the remaining two judges. In the meantime, the parliamentary committee’s members have also been changed.

The suspension of the judges came as the Supreme Court was about to hold a hearing on a challenge to a recently made amendment to the constitution. The amendment had been passed by a majority of the People’s National Congress and included anti-defection laws. Under the amended constitution, lawmakers would lose their seats if they left the party. It also included three other scenarios where lawmakers would lose their seats in parliament.

Many see this move by the JSC as an attempt by the government to undermine judicial independence. Dissenting voices say the government wants to stifle dissent, as the details of criminal cases against the judges have not been made public yet. Only a vague statement has been issued, which says that the Anti-Corruption Commission has been conducting an investigation against the judges.

Besides suspending judges, another controversial development occurred on the very same day as the parliament passed an act reducing the number of judges from 7 to 5 in the Supreme Court.

As per a news report by Naizak Ahmed in Sun Online, both Azmiralda and Suood have accused President Muizzu of influencing the judiciary. However, the president denied such allegations at a press conference.