Chief Justice Ahmed Mu’thasim Adnan has stated rule of law cannot be established in the country without an independent judiciary. He made the remarks in his address at the ceremony held to inaugurate Judicial Year 2022.
In his address, Chief Justice Adnan said the biggest responsibility of courts is to establish justice by supporting the equality of all citizens before the law. The chief justice noted this cannot be achieved without an independent judiciary, where judges make decisions and rulings based on the law without any external influence. He added an independent judiciary is essential for the peace and stability of the nation, as evident by history.
Speaking further, the chief justice said important changes have been brought to the operations of the judiciary amid the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, he noted the judiciary has become more technology-friendly, allowing trials to proceed without interruption despite the COVID-19 restrictions.
The chief justice noted further efforts are ongoing to make the judiciary more efficient and reliable and earn the confidence of the public. In this regard, he highlighted the ongoing projects to establish an integrated system and case report software for the judiciary.
The ceremony held to inaugurate Judicial Year 2022 was attended by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as well as Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.