The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has announced that Justice Abdulla Hameed will temporarily take on the administrative duties of the Supreme Court following Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan’s forthcoming retirement. 

Justice Hameed, currently a sitting member of the Supreme Court, will lead the court’s administration until a permanent successor is appointed. He has significant judicial experience, having served on the Supreme Court from 2009 to 2014, after a tenure at the High Court spanning 2007 to 2022. He was reappointed to the Supreme Court bench in 2019.

Chief Justice Muthasim will become the first Chief Justice under the current constitutional framework to retire honourably; all his predecessors were either dismissed or removed from office.

Chief Justice Muthasim first joined the Supreme Court in 2009, serving until December 2014. He returned in 2019 and was elevated to Chief Justice on December 8 of that year. His exit concludes a notable judicial career and represents the only voluntary and distinguished departure from the Chief Justice’s office since the adoption of the 2008 Constitution.

To date, the JSC has not provided a timetable for the appointment of a new Chief Justice. Justice Hameed’s interim stewardship ensures continuity in the Court’s operations during this transitional phase.