Maldives · Courts
Court structure of Maldives
Every tier of the judiciary, what it hears, and where an appeal goes next.
The hierarchy, top to bottom
- Final appellate — Supreme Court
- Final constitutional and appellate authority; sits in Malé.
- Appellate — High Court
- Appeals from superior and magistrates' courts.
- First instance — Superior Courts
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Juvenile and Drug Courts in Malé.
- First instance — Magistrates' Courts
- One on each inhabited island with general jurisdiction.
- Tribunals — Employment and Tax Appeal Tribunals
- Statutory tribunals with appeal to the High Court.
Every court in the hierarchy
- supremeMaléSupreme Court of the MaldivesFinal appeals from the High Court, constitutional review, and original jurisdiction in matters the court determines to be of public importance.
- appellateMaléHigh Court of the MaldivesAppeals from the superior courts and the magistrate courts of the atolls, and judicial review of administrative action.
- first-instanceMaléSuperior CourtsFirst-instance jurisdiction divided by subject matter: civil and commercial claims, criminal prosecutions, family and inheritance, juvenile matters, and drug offences.
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