The Parliament of the Maldives has passed the Civil Procedure Bill.
The Civil Procedure Bill was submitted to the parliament by the government, to establish the procedures to be followed in civil cases in court. The bill, which is 177 pages long and includes over 400 clauses, was passed by the parliament on November 29 with votes from 53 parliamentarians.
The Civil Procedure Bill paves the way for fast and efficient civil proceedings in court. As such, the bill facilitates faster civil trials based on the financial conditions of those involved.
The bill also specifies durations for seeking civil claims, with a maximum of 6 years given to file a case in court over a civil matter. The bill also states matters related to employment must be submitted to court within 3 months, while matters related to change in property ownership must be submitted within 6 months from the date of the ownership change.
Furthermore, the bill establishes a dispute resolution system for civil cases. The bill also introduces a system of accountability for expenses incurred during the trial process.
The bill will come into effect as a law upon ratification by the president.