The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has approved the voluntary retirement of Supreme Court Justice Ali Rasheed Hussain effective 1 December 2026 and opened applications to fill the upcoming vacancy on the apex court bench.
According to The Edition, Justice Ali Rasheed submitted his request to retire in October after serving six years on the Supreme Court. Following a review under the Judges Act and judicial retirement regulations, the commission confirmed his departure and invited qualified legal practitioners to apply for the seat by 10:00 am on Sunday.
Reporting on the recruitment notice, Sun Online noted that the commission moved swiftly to advertise the Supreme Court post despite a two-month vacancy on the High Court bench:
"The JSC on Wednesday opened applications for a Supreme Court judge following its decision to retire Justice Ali Rasheed from next month. However, one of the High Court seats has been vacant since the retirement of High Court Justice Ibrahim Mahir on September 6."
Judicial career and remuneration package
Under the vacancy announcement issued pursuant to Article 148(a) of the Constitution and Article 17(b) of the Judiciary Act, a Supreme Court justice receives a basic monthly salary of MVR 59,700, a living allowance of MVR 25,000, and a risk allowance of MVR 3,300, bringing total monthly pay to MVR 88,000.
Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court six years ago, Justice Ali Rasheed served on the Criminal Court, the Drug Court, and as Chief Judge of the Civil Court. As reported by The Edition, he presided over the five-judge Criminal Court bench that convicted former President Abdulla Yameen in 2019. While several disciplinary complaints were lodged against him at the JSC during his tenure on the apex court, none were proven.