Information Commission (Bangladesh)

Information Commission Bangladesh
তথ্য কমিশন বাংলাদেশ
Formation1 July 2009
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali
Chief Information Commissioner
Dr. Abdul Malek
Information Commissioner
  • Masuda Bhatti
  • Shahidul Alam Jhinuk
Parent organization
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
WebsiteInformation Commission Bangladesh

The Information Commission Bangladesh is an independent statutory body responsible for ensuring citizens have access to information according to the Right to Information Act, 2009.[1] The commission is mostly made up of bureaucrats.[2] Abdul Malek, former secretary to the government of Bangladesh, became Chief Information Commissioner on 22 March 2023.

History

[edit]

The Information Commission of Bangladesh was established on 1 July 2009 by the Awami League government. It was based on the Right to Information Ordinance, which was passed in 2008 by the Caretaker Government during the 2006–2008 Bangladeshi political crisis and ratified by the parliament on 29 March 2009. The first chief information commissioner was M Azizur Rahman, a retired government secretary. Sadeka Halim, a professor at University of Dhaka, and Mohammad Abu Taher, another retired secretary, were the first two commissioners. They were selected through a selection committee led by a judge of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. Security and intelligence agencies are exempted from provisions of the commission.[3][4][5] The inclusion of two former civil servants as commissioners drew criticism.[4]

Out of the three commissioners, one of them must be a woman.[6] To removal procedure for a commissioner is the same as that of a judge on the Bangladesh Supreme Court.[6] The two commissioners have the rank of a government secretary since 2014.[7]

Decisions of the commission regarding request for information can be appealed in courts.[8] The commission provided information for 95 percent of the 6,369 requests it received in 2016.[9] It also fines designated officers for not providing the requested information.[9]

List of leaders

[edit]

Chief information commissioners

[edit]
Sl. No. Name Start date End date Reference
1. M Azizur Rahman 2 July 2009 10 Jan 2010 [10]
2. Ambassador Muhammad Zamir 31 March 2010 3 September 2012 [10]
3. Ambassador Mohammed Farooq 11 October 2012 9 January 2016 [10]
4. Professor Md. Golam Rahman 7 February 2016 6 January 2018 [10]
5. Martuza Ahmed 18 January 2018 17 January 2023 [10]
6. Dr. Abdul Malek 22 March 2023 [11]

Commissioners

[edit]
Sl. No. Name Start date End date Reference
1. Mohammad Abu Taher 2 July 2009 1 July 2014 [10]
2. Professor Sadeka Halim 5 July 2009 4 July 2014 [10]
3. Khurshida Begum Sayeed 28 September 2014 31 January 2018 [10]
4. Nepal Chandra Sarker 16 September 2014 15 September 2019 [10]
5. Dr. Abdul Malek 30 January 2020 21 March 2023 [10]
6. Suraiya Begum 29 May 2018 28 May 2023 [10]
7. Masuda Bhatti 24 August 2023 incumbent [12]
8. Shahidul Alam Jhinuk 24 August 2023 incumbent [12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Welcome to Information Commission Website". infocom.gov.bd. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  2. ^ Bari, Shamsul; Naz, Ruhi (15 April 2023). "Information Commission's key role in ensuring right to information". The Daily Star. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Information Commission formed". The Daily Star. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Information Commission bureaucratised". The Daily Star. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Information Commission to expand operation soon". The Daily Star. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b "The Right To Information Act, 2009 Bangladesh" (PDF). Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  7. ^ সচিব পদমর্যাদা পেলেন দুই তথ্য কমিশনার. Jugantor. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Right to Information: Impact of High Court ruling". The Daily Star. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Eight years old - How is the Right to Information Act faring?". The Daily Star. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "EX CICs & ICs". infocom.gov.bd. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  11. ^ তথ্য কমিশন. www.infocom.gov.bd. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  12. ^ a b তথ্য কমিশনার নিয়োগ সংক্রান্ত প্রজ্ঞাপন (জি.ও.নং-৩১৯). Information Commission Bangladesh (in Bengali). 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.


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