New judicial year witnesses the activation of digital systems

Muscat--- The courts of the Sultanate of Oman and the Public Prosecution welcome today a new phase of judicial work with the launch of the new judicial year (2026-2027), continuing to fulfill their mission in consolidating the rule of law and achieving prompt justice.

In preparation for the start of the new judicial year's operations, the courts of the Sultanate of Oman have completed their general assembly meetings to determine the judicial circuits, prepare cadres and facilities, and enhance administrative and technical readiness. This contributes to facilitating the litigant's journey, raising performance efficiency, and accelerating the adjudication of cases.

The new judicial year witnesses the activation of digital systems in the field of inheritances across various courts in its first phase. This represents a qualitative step in developing justice services related to inheritances, legacies, and the management of orphans' funds, thereby contributing to the digital transformation from paper-based to electronic work. It also contributes to simplifying procedures, enhancing their governance, and bringing justice services closer to litigants and beneficiaries.

This comes in pace with the Sultanate of Oman's aspirations toward a more efficient and flexible judicial system, and in embodiment of the Supreme Judiciary Council's vision to achieve "prompt justice that consolidates the rule of law."

Sayyid Mohammed Sultan Al Busaidi, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council, said in his speech on the occasion of the beginning of the new judicial year that with the start of this new year, we renew our faith in the noble mission of the judiciary in serving justice and humanity, and safeguarding the nation's gains. This is based on the achievements realized in the past judicial year, while looking forward to a new phase in which we continue to build a more efficient and developed judicial system, capable of keeping pace with changes, responding to the needs of society, and consolidating trust in the justice system.

He added that on the first of October every year, we stand with pride before the significant achievements witnessed in the progression of judicial work. These came as a fruit of the royal care of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and the efforts of the workers in the judicial and justice system, as well as their belief in the importance of development to upgrade the judicial system.

He affirmed that digital transformation constituted one of the most prominent development tracks during the past phase, through expanding the employment of modern technologies and developing services and procedures, in a way that enhances work efficiency, raises the quality of judicial services, and supports the speed of accomplishment.

He pointed out that the past judicial year witnessed the commencement of the operations of the Investment and Trade Court, in a step that enhances the path of specialized judiciary in the Sultanate of Oman, supports the provision of an efficient and specialized judicial environment, and keeps pace with the growth and development the Sultanate of Oman is witnessing in various investment and commercial fields.

In the context of supporting the progression of developing laws and legislation, and in consolidation of the noble approach for the continuous institutional modernization of the judicial system, he explained that the council witnessed during the past days the issuance of Royal Decree No. (80/2026) amending the nomenclature of the Public Prosecution. This reflects the deep-rootedness of its standing as one of the fundamental components of the judicial authority, embodies the nature of its mission and competencies in achieving justice, protecting society, and safeguarding rights and freedoms, and keeps pace with modern international practices and standards.

He clarified that the targets of the new judicial year are represented in continuing the work to develop the infrastructure of the judicial system and creating a more efficient work environment and services. This keeps pace with current and future needs, enhances the quality of judicial and administrative performance, and preserves the constants of justice and the rule of law.

He emphasized continuing the work on developing judicial services and digital transformation, and benefiting from modern technologies and system integration. This contributes to facilitating access to judicial services, improving the litigants' experience, raising the efficiency of procedures, and making the judicial service easier and clearer.

For his part, Dr. Sheikh Mohammed Saif Al Saadi, Judge of the Supreme Court and Chairman of the Muscat Court, said that justice is a noble mission and not merely an end to be sought, and the start of the new judicial year represents an important station to enhance the efficiency of judicial and administrative work. He affirmed that the past judicial year witnessed the achievement of record adjudication rates thanks to the qualitative leap the judicial system witnessed in the engineering of digital transformation and the development of electronic services, which directly resulted in simplifying procedures, reducing the duration of litigation, and facilitating the paths of justice for litigants.

On his part, Lawyer Dr. Said Al Qalhati said that with the start of the new judicial year, lawyers and legal professionals recall the lofty standing of justice, and the role of the judicial authority, the legal profession, and all relevant entities in upholding the rule of law and safeguarding rights and freedoms.

He added that the lawyer remains an authentic partner in the justice system, performing his professional mission with honesty and independence, and contributing to revealing and defending the truth, out of respect for the law and trust in the judiciary.

The performance indicators for the judicial year 2025/2026 reflect the volume of efforts exerted across the various components of the judicial system. The total number of cases circulated in the courts reached 177,356 cases, for which 126,487 judgments were issued, with a general adjudication rate of 71 percent, while the average number of cases per judge reached 411 cases.

The Supreme Court recorded an adjudication rate of 87 percent, after issuing judgments in 5,803 cases out of 6,650 circulated cases. Meanwhile, some of its circuits achieved adjudication rates of 100 percent, reflecting stability in legal principles and efficiency in resolving the appeals presented before them.

As for the Courts of Appeal, the number of circulated cases reached 44,189 cases, with 28,678 judgments issued, reflecting an adjudication rate of 65 percent. Meanwhile, the number of circulated cases in the Primary Courts reached 88,458 cases, with 69,208 judgments issued, at an adjudication rate of 78 percent, despite absorbing the largest share of the volume of cases of various types.

In the framework of enhancing judicial specialization, the Investment and Trade Court constituted one of the outputs of the council's strategic plan, as it commenced its operational work on 1 October, 2025. This aims to provide a specialized judicial umbrella for commercial and investment disputes, contributing to the protection of investments, accelerating the resolution of disputes, and supporting the business environment.

The court's indicators during the judicial year 2025/2026 showed the issuance of 4,665 judgments in the primary circuits and 82 judgments in the appellate circuits for newly registered cases. Meanwhile, the total number of cases transferred to the court's jurisdiction reached 25,758 cases, of which 17,929 cases were concluded, representing a completion rate of 70 percent.

The resolution of a dispute judicially is not complete merely with the issuance of judgments, but rather with the execution of judgments and the guaranteeing of rights. In this regard, the total number of circulated execution requests during the judicial year reached 73,925 requests, of which 31,929 requests were executed, reflecting a general performance rate of 43 percent. Civil execution constituted the largest percentage of circulated requests, amounting to 28,527 requests, or 48 percent, of which 13,806 requests were executed.

In the field of monitoring judicial performance, the Directorate General of Judicial Inspection resolved 308 incoming complaints with a completion rate of 100 percent. The inspection activities also covered 46 out of 58 courts, and 191 out of 221 targeted judges, representing a coverage rate of 86 percent of the judges subject to inspection.

Digital transformation constitutes one of the main tracks in the development of the judicial and justice system, as the council continued to employ technology in automating procedures and facilitating beneficiaries' access to services.

The number of active users of the "Qadha" portal reached more than 137,000 users, while the number of electronically registered cases exceeded 760,000 cases, in addition to processing more than 29,000 execution requests electronically, and archiving more than 600,000 judicial files electronically.

Furthermore, the digitization rate of judicial and justice services reached 89 percent. Meanwhile, the "Tawtheeq" system for the transactions of Notary Public departments recorded during the first half of 2026 the registration of 136,978 transactions, of which 121,187 transactions were issued.

The number of video call transactions reached 35,109 transactions, marking an increase of 163 percent compared to 2024, while the Notary Public department recorded 8,752 marriages and 2,052 divorces during the same first half. The video call service within the "Tawtheeq" system won the award for the "Best Digital Government Service Provided to Individuals for the Year 2025."

The Supreme Judicial Council attaches importance to building national capacities and developing judicial and administrative competencies. The total number of judges reached 432 judges by the end of the judicial year 2025/2026, compared to 337 judges in the previous judicial year, while the Omanization rate in the judiciary reached 61 percent.

The training programs also included 2,015 participants, of whom 617 were judicial cadres and 1,398 were auxiliary and administrative cadres, and the completion rate among those targeted for training reached 93 percent.

These indicators come within the framework of the Supreme Judiciary Council's direction toward building a more efficient, specialized, and digitized judicial system, based on its long-term strategic plan 2024–2040 and its first operational plan. This aligns with the objectives of "Oman Vision 2040" and enhances the quality of judicial services and the beneficiaries' experience.

The Supreme Judiciary Council continues to develop the judicial system in accordance with the targets of its first operational plan.

This is done through developing litigation procedures, enhancing specialized judiciary, raising the efficiency of judicial and institutional performance, and benefiting from modern technologies to reduce the duration of litigation. This is alongside enhancing digital transformation and expanding remote litigation services, developing alternatives to litigation, accelerating the enforcement of judgments, digital transformation, and developing national competencies.