Criminal Court Shortens Recess to Expedite Cases

The Criminal Court has announced a shortened recess to expedite the cases it is hearing. Typically, the Superior Courts go on recess twice a year, in June and December. However, the Criminal Court stated that due to ongoing space constraints in the court building, it is operating by dividing trial halls for different judges on different days, which has posed challenges in scheduling hearings.

To address these issues, the court has decided not to observe a full recess for the entire month. Instead, it will go on recess from December 15. The court believes that relocating to Hulhumale will resolve space constraints and help speed up case processing.

The Criminal Court also released its statistics for the year, reporting that 7,958 cases were scheduled for hearing, 515 cases were concluded, 2,615 people were remanded in custody, and 2,043 court orders were issued. Although the court will officially go into recess on the 15th, some operations, including the relocation work and remand hearings, will continue during this period.