Parliament on Wednesday passed to increase the number of High Court Judges from nine to 11.

Forty-three MPs had voted for the motion, with 29 voting against it.

The bill was deliberated by the Committee on Independent Institutions.

Currently the bench consists of seven Judges, out of which three are stationed in the South branch of the High Court.

The amendment to the Act, proposed by MP Ibrahim Falah, seeks to increase the number by two, to 11.

While Article 27 (a) of the Judicature Act of Maldives states that the High Court “constitutes of a total number of nine judges including the Chief Judge”, the amendment submitted says that the court must have a total of 11 judges, including the Chief Judge.

The amendment also noted that if passed, the judges at the High Court will remain so, and that the additional judges must be appointed within three months after it is passed and ratified by the President.

Falah said that the reason for the amendment is because “of the increasing number of cases being filed at court and to conclude the cases at a faster pace”.