President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday ratified the 4th amendment to the Maldives Judicature Act. Parliament passed the bill at the 19th sitting of its second session on June 27, 2022.
The amendment stipulates that the judges of the High Court would be based in Malé and that all court proceedings would also be based in Malé. It also outlines the provisions for dissolving the northern and southern branches of the High Court and transferring their functions and cases to the High Court.
The bill also transfers all assets and staff of the formerly northern and southern High Court branches to the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA). DJA is mandated to transfer the staff to other judicatory bodies, within first 60 days from ratification while ensuring the continuity of their employment.
Upon ratification, the bill was published in the Government Gazette and is now in effect.
