President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has returned the Fifth Amendment Bill to the Judicature Act of the Maldives to the People’s Majlis for reconsideration, invoking Article 91(a) of the Constitution.

The People’s Majlis passed the bill on 26 February, during its ninth sitting of the first session of 2025, before submitting it to the President’s Office for ratification.

Introduced by MP Abdul Sattar Mohamed, the amendment sought to reduce the Supreme Court bench from seven to five justices, including the chief justice. It also aimed to grant the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) the authority to recommend the removal of justices deemed unfit, subject to approval by a two-thirds parliamentary majority.