Two candidates rejected for failure to meet criteria for JSC membership

Combined file photos of (from L-R) former Civil Court judge Zubair Mohamed and former High Court chief judge Shujau Usman.

The Bar Council has rejected the candidacy of two former judges – former High Court chief judge Shujau Usman and former Civil Court judge Zubair Mohamed - for membership at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), after deciding they do not meet the criteria.

The position of a member elected to the JSC from among lawyers fell vacant last month, after Abdul Maniu Hussain resigned from the post.

The Bar Council is set to hold the vote on Thursday. Three candidates applied before candidacy closed last Tuesday; Shujau, Zubair, and Ali Abdul Latheef – a member of the Bar Council’s executive committee.

With the decision to reject Shujau and Zubair’s candidacy, only Abdul Latheef is contesting the election.

Shujau resigned from the High Court in 2020, after the JSC decided to dismiss him for misuse of his powers.

Meanwhile, Zubair resigned from the Civil Court in 2014.