The media bill was approved by the Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee on Monday after various amendments, despite journalists protesting in the committee room, reiterating their call for the repeal of the contentious legislation aimed at replacing the current self-regulatory framework with a government-controlled body.

On August 18, Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakr, an independent politician supporting the government, proposed a bill to abolish the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Broadcasting Commission of Maldives (BroadCom), establishing a unified regulatory authority — a seven-member Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC). This commission would include four members chosen by the media and three appointed by the President of the Maldives, subject to parliamentary consent, while the President would also hold the power to name the commission's chairperson. It also enables the MMBC to enforce significant penalties on media organizations and individual journalists, even during the investigative process.

The legislation, heavily criticized by both local and global media organizations, is openly supported by the PNC government. Media rights organizations, both global and local, as well as individual media outlets and reporters, have called for the bill's retraction.

Since the bill's introduction, journalists have been demonstrating, demanding its retraction. Each day, reporters enter the parliament to observe the bill's advancement. During a prior committee meeting with media organizations to collect their opinions, everyone raised concerns and requested its retraction.

The committee started examining the media bill on Monday, announced its passage, and then adjourned at 16:45.

Kelaa MP Abdullah Shareef, representing the government, suggested multiple changes to the bill. When voted on along with the amendments, the bill was approved by the votes of the PNC members attending the committee.

Nevertheless, the committee finished the voting process without revealing the outcomes.