Suspended Family Court Judge Hassan Saeed has requested the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to hear disciplinary issue raised against him in an open meeting.
While the Chief Judge of the Family Court has made the request, no JSC meetings have been conducted openly in the past. There are no policies in place that allow JSC meetings to be publicized.
The decision to suspend Saeed was made with the agreement of nine commission members present during Wednesday's JSC meeting, over a complaint filed at the JSC against Judge Saeed by a dismissed Registrar of Marriage over his termination from the Family Court.
Newly appointed members to the JSC, Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed, and parliament representative to the commission Hisaan Hussain took part in the JSC meeting that made the decision to suspend Saeed.
A letter sent to the JSC by Saeed's attorney read that a request was made at the commission late last month to review the case filed against him. The new members of the commission were not notified of the request before the suspension was approved, it stated. A request to agenda a review was made by his attorney.
The letter further stated that Hassan Saeed has always advocated against corruption, and no disciplinary issues against the judge have been filed in the last ten years that he was a judge.
Judge Hassan Saeed was previously suspended by the JSC for alleging that two judges appointed to the High Court were corrupt. Hassan Saeed filed a lawsuit against JSC at the Civil Court over the issue, however, he later withdrew the case.
