Supreme Court of the Maldives

The Supreme Court of the Maldives is the highest court of the Maldives.

History

The Supreme Court was established on 18 September 2008 under Article 282 of the Constitution of the Maldives. The first amendment to the Judicature Act made the Supreme Court bench down to 5 judges, while the third amendment reversed the first amendment and made it back to 7 judges. In 2025, the government submitted a bill in parliament to alter the bench back to 5 judges, which was met with condemnation from opposition parties. The president later sent the bill back to parliament.

Four members of the country's Election Commission were set to spend six months in jail for 'disobeying orders'. Amid the state of emergency declared by President Abdulla Yameen, the Supreme Court's operations have been suspended, leaving the judiciary without anyone in charge. A court official subsequently verified that state security forces had forcibly entered the building, effectively confining the judges inside and preventing them from leaving. Additionally, during this tense situation, the Chief Justice of Maldives was arrested.

The Supreme Court has 7 justices:

*
*

*
*