President Mohamed Nasheed has said today marked the first anniversary of an independent judiciary in the Maldives. He made the remarks, this evening, speaking at the special ceremony to mark first anniversary of the Supreme Court.

Speaking in this regard, the President said historically the judiciary had always been independent of the executive power. However, he said the judiciary had never been more influenced by the executive power as it was done in recent past.

At the ceremony, the President spoke on the history of the judiciary and justice system in the Maldives. He said with the introduction of the first Constitution, and the arrival of a number of foreign-educated youth in 1930s further strengthened the calls for separation of powers.

The President noted the role of the People’s Special Majlis and thanked their efforts in establishing the Supreme Court and writing the Constitution that guarantees the separation of powers.

President Nasheed said the importance of separation of powers became clear on the day the Supreme Court was established, when a number of matters had to be decided by the Court.