Majlis Approves Hameed and Saleem for Supreme Court Bench
High Court Judge Mohamed Saleem (R) and former High Court Judge Abdulla Hameed. | Photo: High Court
The People’s Majlis has approved the appointment of Mohamed Saleem and Abdulla Hameed to the Supreme Court, following their nomination by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.
In Tuesday’s sitting, 60 MPs voted in favour of Hameed, while Saleem secured 61 votes. The vote follows a Judiciary Committee review held after the President’s nominations were formally read out in Parliament earlier.
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The two Supreme Court vacancies arose on 17 May after Justices Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir were dismissed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The JSC ruled that the pair had interfered in a criminal case involving Azmiralda’s husband.
President Muizzu nominated Saleem and Hameed from a pool of 12 applicants who were assessed and scored by the JSC. Saleem, currently a High Court judge since 2022, previously worked at the same court as a legal officer for over a decade. His eligibility was initially debated, with questions over whether he met the constitutional requirement of seven years’ experience as a judge or practising lawyer. However, the JSC ruled he met the criteria under Article 149(c) of the Constitution.
Abdulla Hameed previously served on the High Court from 2007 until his removal in June 2022. He was dismissed after the JSC found he had accepted government flats from the administration of former President Abdulla Yameen in exchange for favourable rulings—a claim Hameed strongly denies.
