The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has decided to counsel Seenu Hithadhoo court's magistrate Rafeeuddin Ahmed for failing to deliver a verdict within the mandatory period.
In a statement released today, the JSC said the hearing for delivering the verdict was not held within the period mandated by the law after both sides presented closing arguments in a trial at the Hithadhoo magistrate court.
The verdict was delivered 157 days, including holidays, after hearings concluded in the trial.
The JSC decided to counsel magistrate Rafeeuddin.
The investigation of the case started in October last year.
The JSC is also investigating another case involving Rafeeuddin. The case concerns his failure to deliver a verdict in a summary judgment trial in contravention of article 151(e) of the criminal procedures law.
A case also surfaced previously where magistrate Rafeeuddin suspended a high court order and released a drug trafficking suspect from custody.
Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said at the time that he would file a complaint with the JSC over the incident.
