The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has named Justice Hussain Shaheed as its new vice-chair.

The position was left open following the resignation of former vice-president Yazmeed Mohamed last month. He did not reveal the cause of his resignation.

Yazmeed had been appointed by the President to serve on the commission. The President has since designated Ali Naseer Gasim to the commission.

In a Wednesday post on X, the JSC extended congratulations to Justice Shaheed for his election to the open vice-president position.

Shaheed was named to the Supreme Court on March 19 of the previous year. His appointment came after the resignation of Justice Husnu Al-Suood, who had been suspended since February 26.

Justice Shaheed has formerly held the position of Chief Judge of both the High Court and the Criminal Court. He was assigned to the JSC on April 7 of the previous year.

The JSC serves as an essential constitutional entity responsible for appointing, promoting, investigating, and disciplining judges, along with providing counsel on the courts' administrative matters. The commission is tasked with safeguarding judicial independence and developing policies to enhance the judiciary.

The commission consists of 10 members: one appointed by the President, the Speaker of Parliament, a judge from the Supreme Court, a judge from the High Court, a judge elected from lower court judges, a member of Parliament, a public representative selected by Parliament, the Attorney General, and a lawyer chosen from licensed attorneys.

Repeated administrations, such as the former MDP government and the existing leadership, have committed to reforming the JSC to lessen political impact. Yet, no administration has fulfilled that commitment to date.