Judicial watchdog late Tuesday demoted chief criminal judge Abdul Baaree Yoosuf and another criminal court judge to the juvenile court.
The sudden decision came hours after the criminal court threw out the case against opposition Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim over the prosecution's failure to attend a hearing earlier Tuesday.
Judicial Service Commission (JSC) said the move was instructed by the Supreme Court, but the reasons remain unclear.
The business magnate had three separate charges levied against him, which include, conspiring to overthrow the government, attempting to bribe government lawmakers ahead of the censure motion against parliament speaker Abdullah Maseeh in late March, and undue influence on a state official.
The court had given enough time for the prosecutors to attend the second hearing on Tuesday before the three bench headed by Judge Baaree dismissed the case.
JSC had summoned Judge Baaree for unknown reasons on Tuesday morning, hours before Gasim's trial resumed.
The now united opposition have long accused the government of undue influence over the judiciary, using the courts to jail political opponents on trumped up charges.
However, criminal court's most recent rulings had been in favour of the opposition which included the acquittal of deputy JP leader Abdulla Riyaz.
Maldives has been hit by fresh political strife after the opposition wrested parliament control from the government to file a fresh censure motion against the speaker.
After the now opposition coalition in March had filed a second motion to unseat speaker Abdulla Maseeh, the government had engineered an amendment to the parliament rules of procedure raising the number of lawmaker signatures required to file a censure motion against the speaker and his deputy from 15 to 42.
The opposition had filed the third censure motion against Maseeh with 45 lawmakers which included ten lawmakers from the ruling party.
More lawmakers scrambled to leave the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on Monday as the government in a desperate attempt to reverse the slide turned to the country's top court to disqualify rebel MPs.
As the Attorney General (AG) was filing a constitutional case asking the Supreme Court to disqualify MPs who defect or violate party whip-lines, Ihavandhoo MP Mohamed Abdulla, Thimarafushi MP Mohamed Musthafa and South-Thinadhoo MP Abdulla Mohamed officially asked to leave the party to join south-Machchangoalhi MP Abdulla Sinan, Villingili MP Saud Hussain and North-Thinadhoo MP Saudulla Hilmy to quit the party on Monday.
Dhihdhoo lawmaker Abdul Latheef Mohamed and Hanimaadhoo lawmaker Hussain Shahudhee also left the ruling party last week followed by Dhangethi MP Ilham Ahmed on Sunday.
North-Fuvahmulah MP Ali Shah late Tuesday also quit the party taking the tally of lawmakers to leave the embattled ruling party to 10 decimating the once mighty ruling coalition as the parliament minority.
Government meanwhile on Monday made a last ditch attempt to stop bleeding lawmakers from the ruling party by filing a constitutional case asking the Supreme Court to disqualify MPs who defect or violate party whip-lines.
Attorney General (AG) Mohamed Anil who submitted the case argued that lawmakers who get elected on political party tickets make a promise to the people to uphold the belief, ideologies and policies of a particular political party.
So lawmakers do not have the right to switch parties or go against the party he or she represents which would be a violation of the rights of his or her voters, the AG argued.
The state has asked the country's top court to disqualify MPs elected on a particular party's ticket if he or she goes against the party's ideologies, quitting the party and or switching to another political party.
The case requires the Supreme Court to interpret four articles of the country's constitution.
The AG also said the lack of an anti-defection law paved the way for undue influence of lawmakers and the parliament which was a grave threat to the constitutionally elected government.
