The government has this month allocated land in one of Malé's most prime locations for a new building to house the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Abdul Ganee Mohamed made the announcement while speaking at a special ceremony marking the Supreme Court's 18th anniversary.
The Chief Justice said the biggest challenge facing the Supreme Court — as with other courts in the country — is a shortage of space. He noted that after the Constitution was ratified, the transitional Supreme Court first operated from part of Muliage, and was later moved to the Theemuge building.
"Although Muliage and Theemuge are highly prestigious places, they were not designed for court operations, so we face many obstacles. The land the government has allocated is land that symbolises our vision for the Supreme Court's future," the Chief Justice said.
He added that the new Supreme Court building will enable the court to fully carry out its legal role, and will provide a suitable environment for judges, staff and members of the public who seek services.
Highlighting that delivering justice to citizens at the required speed is currently the greatest responsibility, the Chief Justice said efforts are under way to identify and resolve administrative and systemic reasons why cases older than one year remain unfinished across the country's courts.
The government is also progressing other projects to ease space shortages at Malé courts. Work to build the Malé Court Complex was handed to MTCC in July this year. As President Dr. Muizzu has announced, work is progressing so that operations for the 2028 judicial year can begin in that building. While MTCC advances a court complex in Hulhumalé that will include the High Court and Superior Courts, a building in Hulhumalé has also been developed to house the Criminal Court and Drug Court.
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