The Supreme Court of Maldives has increased the blood money from 100,000 Rufiyaa to 1 million Rufiyaa today.
Blood money in Islam is paid as a compensation for murder or wounds to either the victim or the next of kin. It is demanded whether or not the harm was caused intentionally.
Up until today, Maldives only charged 100,000 Rufiyaa as blood money for murder cases. However, in special cases, blood money has been increased, with the highest amount charged having been 133,000 Rufiyaa.
The amount to charge as blood money was last determined in 1995.
As per the new Criminal Procedure Code, the minimum amount of blood money that has to be paid henceforth is one million Rufiyaa. In situations when a life cannot be claimed for a life lost, as per the Islamic Shariah, a judge can now order 60 days of continuous fasting as well.
According to shariah, blood money was traditionally paid in 100 camels. Islamic countries now charge the monetary amount of 100 camels instead of making it compulsory they pay with camels.