Hussain Riza Adam, President of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), announced that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has pledged support for all three proposals presented for the advancement of the judiciary.

Speaking at the ‘Judicial Year 2025’ inauguration ceremony at the Islamic Centre on Tuesday night, Hussain recounted his meeting with the President following his appointment as JSC president. Drawing from his decade of experience in the field, he explained that the meeting was arranged to seek improvements for the judiciary, particularly given its standing as one of the three powers of state.

He outlined the three proposals presented to the President. The first concerned the Court Complex, noting that whilst discussions had been ongoing since 2011, and designs emerged in 2014 alongside promising news of land allocation, no land registry had materialised.

Addressing the current state of courts, Hussain emphasised that all courts, including the Supreme Court, suffer from water ingress during rainfall, and further stressed that the severe space constraints have become a universally acknowledged issue.

The second matter addressed staffing challenges. Hussain highlighted a stark contrast: whilst court administrative and legal positions attracted over a hundred applicants in 2011, they now struggle to fill vacancies despite multiple advertisements. He attributed this decline to sector-wide disillusionment, citing stagnant career progression and long-frozen salaries.

Upon presenting these staffing concerns and the necessity for salary improvements, he reported that the President had committed to implementing positive changes to judiciary staff remuneration.

The third proposal centred on housing. Hussain pointed out that whilst various housing schemes are available to employees of government institutions and companies, judges and judicial staff remain excluded from such programmes despite their aspirations. He expressed optimism regarding this issue, noting the President's commitment to exploring solutions within existing regulatory frameworks.

Hussain Riza Adam concluded by expressing gratitude to the President for his commitment to revitalising the judiciary from its current state, in alignment with the President's vision.