Latheefa Qasim has lost her membership in Judicial Service Commission (JSC) with the ratification of Bill on Legal Profession by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Thursday.

Latheefa Qasim was elected to the JSC as a representative of the legal community. However, the ratification of the Legal Profession Bill effectively deems her membership void, as it states that the member who represents the legal community in the JSC should belong to the Bar Council, as established by the Bill.

The bill was approved by the Parliament on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at the 12th sitting of the second session of the People’s Majlis.

Ratification of this bill establishes the Bar Council and its mandates, and all regulatory power related to Legal Professionals including issuing licenses and penalisation falls within the mandate of the Bar Council. This also means that the courts have lost their power to penalise lawyers.

The bill also empowers Legal Professionals in strengthening academics in the legal sector with easier access to better training opportunities.