Twelve candidates have applied for the two seats on the Supreme Court bench.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) opened applications for the posts earlier this month, following the dismissal of two Supreme Court justices, Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir on 14 May. While the deadline was set for 12pm on Thursday, 22 May, the candidates that applied before the deadline include a mix of current and former judges as well as prominent legal professionals.
The candidates who applied for the vacant posts are:
Mohamed Faisal (Chief Judge of the High Court)
Mohamed Saleem (High Court Judge)
Abdulla Hameed (former High Court Judge)
Abdul Ghani Mohamed (former Supreme Court Justice)
Ahmed Hailam (former Chief judge of the Criminal Court)
Shujau Usman ( former High Court Chief Judge)
Mariyam Nihayath (former Civil Court Judge and former Deputy Prosecutor General)
Mohamed Raghib Ahmed (former judge and a former Deputy Minister of the current government)
Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim (former Member of Parliament for Thulusdhoo Constituency)
Aishath Fazna Ahmed, (former Assistant Prosecutor General)
Mohamed Ibrahim
Ibrahim Ali
The constitution mandates a total of seven justices on the Supreme Court bench. However, the bench currently consists of five justices.