Chief Justice Uz Abdul Ghanee Mohamed has said that the comprehensive digitalisation of judicial services will be one of the judiciary’s primary priorities this year.

He made the remarks while speaking at the official ceremony to inaugurate the Judicial Year 2026, where he outlined the strategic roadmap for the development of the Maldivian legal system.

Highlighting alignment with the Government’s Digital 2.0 vision, the Chief Justice said technology will play a central role in improving courtroom efficiency and public access to judicial services. He noted that the Department of Judicial Administration has begun developing a dedicated digital database to modernise criminal and debt record clearance processes.

Once the system becomes operational, the processing time for record clearances is expected to be reduced from the current seven days under manual procedures to just one day, he said.

The Chief Justice also announced a series of technical upgrades, including improvements to applications that enable real-time transcription of court proceedings. In addition, the integrated case management module is scheduled to be rolled out across all courts in the Greater Malé area by June 2026, with plans to extend the system to more populated islands in the atolls thereafter.

Reaffirming the judiciary’s commitment to efficiency and accessibility, the Chief Justice described the budget allocated to the sector this year as a “hopeful” foundation for reform. He said the judiciary is prepared to pursue major advancements with the resources provided.

Reflecting on past challenges, he said years of systemic neglect had allowed early obstacles to grow into significant risks for the judiciary. However, he expressed confidence in the current Administration’s efforts to address these issues.

He also highlighted the Government’s decision to allocate a fixed percentage of the State budget to the judiciary, describing it as a strong signal of the priority placed on judicial independence and institutional progress. With support from this year’s budget, the judiciary plans to commence 49 new Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) projects and complete 10 ongoing infrastructure projects within the year.