Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan has emphasized that while judges must work with sincerity in delivering justice, they should avoid emotional involvement in their decisions.

Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony for magistrates last Thursday, the Chief Justice shared his experience of deliberating on a major case just before the event.

The case in question was the appeal of Mariyam Nazaha, who contested her conviction and life sentence for murdering her ex-husband. The Supreme Court upheld her life sentence with a three-judge majority ruling.

The Chief Justice admitted that he had a restless night before delivering the judgment, staying awake from midnight to 2 a.m., deeply contemplating the case. "The verdict had already been written, and there was nothing much left to add. But since it was a significant case, I lay awake considering both sides of the argument," he said.

He also revealed that he had drafted a message to a group of judges but later deleted it, realizing it was too late at night.

Highlighting the weight of judicial responsibility, he stated, "This is the hard part. While judgments are made on the spot, we must reflect on whether they truly serve justice. Even though we are sincere, we must avoid becoming emotional."

The Supreme Court’s majority decision to uphold Nazaha’s life sentence was delivered by Judge Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Judge Ali Rasheed, and Chief Justice Adnan, while Judge Aisha Shujune and Judge Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim dissented.