More than 8,000 cases unfinished, pointing fingers won't solve anything: JSC

Over 8,000 cases are still left unfinished from the Supreme Court, High Court and the superior courts of Male' as of 19th June 2025, JSC President Hussain Riza Adam stated last night, adding that pointing fingers at each other will not bring about a solution to the issue.

He made this statement during the induction ceremony of previous Civil Court Judge Abdullah Jameel Moosa as a High Court judge.

JSC President Riza went on to say that there are many cases that date back quite a long time, particularly cases related to the death penalty.

Even though he did not quote the statistics of the unfinished cases at the Supreme Court, he shared the statistical data of cases at the High Court and superior courts, subsequently expressing his worry. As per his findings:

- High Court: 981 complaints (11 judges)

- Criminal Court: 2,053 complaints (11 judges)

- Civil Court: 4,072 complaints (17 judges)

- Family Court: 214 complaints (7 judges)

- Juvenile Court: 21 complaints (3 judges)

- Drug Court: 1,330 complaints (3 judges)

Riza stated that instead of pointing fingers at one another, all courts need to come together and work together to expedite the cases.

"As an example, if one organ of the human body is neglected, then it will neglect the person as a whole and so in that very same vein, if one branch of the judicial tree is neglected, then the whole tree will see cascading effects. The organs or branches I am speaking include the Prosecutor General's Office, Attorney General's Office, Maldives Police Service, Maldives Correctional Service and defense attorneys," said the JSC President.

He continued by saying that all these bodies contribute to the reasons why there are delays in concluding cases at the courts. Other issues such as inability to present witnesses, not assigning interpreters and others are also part of the issue, said Riza.

"Due to this, the cases won't reach conclusion just by the courts' efforts alone. The courts and the judges need to do exceptional work and I thank you for your current efforts. However, we need to double our efforts," Riza went on to say.

The JSC President proposed the following in order to hasten completion of cases:

- If one session isn't enough, extend it to two sessions.

- The solution of space and resource constraints with the recent acquisition of a new building in Hulhumale' for the Criminal Court and the Drug Court, made possible through dedicated efforts from the Chief Judicial Administrator Amjad Mustafa.

- Statistics of the cases being brought to the courts be reviewed every three months by the JSC and the reasons for case cancellation to be included in statistical reports from September onwards.

Riza said that a symptom can only be cured if the disease is identified and so the need to figure out why cases have been piling up is paramount.

He went on to say that, upon the JSC looking into an unfinished case that had been in a Magistrate Court for quite some time, there was an incident where a defense attorney made two to three requests to cancel a case pertaining to a child molestation case. This is one such case that hasn't been brought to justice and the JSC will be figuring out why cases are being stretched out for so long.

The JSC President pointed out one of his worries, that being a previous amendment that was brought to the Maldives Civil Procedure Code during a previous administration being one of the reasons why cases have been slowed down.

60 percent of the cases that were issued to the Civil Court would see a conclusion after both sides made their case or after a dispute stage but that has been abolished due to the changes that were brought to the Maldives Civil Procedure Code.

Riza has said that even certain embassies and banks have stated their discontent with the slow pacing of Civil Court complaints.

Riza stated that specific amendments that need to be made to the Maldives Civil Procedure Code have been identified and sent to the Attorney General's Office seven months ago. JSC has also urged haste in bringing about a conclusion to their query due to it taking quite some time.

"My hope is that the amendments are brought to the Parliament and further to the committees eyes, and for judges to discuss the changes, give their advice and offer their guidance in this matter, with the opinions of the appropriate lawyers being taken into account when talking about the Maldives Civil Procedure Code. If this motion is to succeed, complaints will be expedited more efficiently," he went on to say.

During last night's ceremony, the JSC President has said that the voices of Maldivians are all saying the same thing, that the cases are being brought to justice much too slowly. Families of those who have been detained pending their trial have been especially vocal, with the JSC receiving multiple letters expressing their heartache over the matter.

"This is a sensitive issue. A really sensitive issue that needs to be approached gently. Cases being slowed to a halt can infringe on the rights of people. Many families have expressed their grief over these matters," Riza has said.

One of the main points in Riza's speech was the courts not being vigilant enough in looking through as many cases as they can, and the public's dissatisfaction that comes with it.