Three institutions meant to uphold transparency, protect rights and hold the government accountable remain largely ineffective nearly three months into the Tarique Rahman-led BNP government, leaving thousands of complaints unresolved and raising concerns over the state of governance.
There has been no visible progress in reconstituting the Human Rights Commission, Information Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission since the BNP government assumed power. As a result, complaints related to corruption, human rights violations and access to information continue to pile up without resolution.
Rights activists say the government’s failure to form these commissions reflects a lack of importance attached to them.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in the popular uprising in August 2024, the commissioners, including the head of the Information Commission, resigned. The commission remained ineffective throughout the interim government period.
A few weeks before leaving office in February, the interim government issued an ordinance amending the Right to Information Act.
After coming to power, the BNP government repealed the ordinance in parliament. However, the Information Commission has yet to be reconstituted.
Officials say around 800 applications are now pending with the commission.
“The government should form the Information Commission as soon as possible because we have reached a point where social media is filled with misinformation and false information,” said Ruhi Naz, deputy director of Research Initiatives Bangladesh, a non-governmental organisation working on the right to information.
She said the government must increase information disclosure and provide citizens with information when requested to counter misinformation.
“The more answers people get, the less they will be harmed by false information and misinformation,” said Ruhi Naz. “The government has now blocked the way to get accurate information.”
Under the law, if a person fails to obtain requested information, they first appeal to a higher official of the institution concerned. If information is still denied, the applicant can complain to the Information Commission.
Salah Uddin, deputy director of the Information Commission, said the commission has received about 800 complaints that cannot be resolved until the body is reconstituted.
He could not say exactly how long it would take to dispose of the pending complaints.
Khadija Tahera Bobby, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, told TIMES of Bangladesh that the ministry has already written to the Chief Justice and the Speaker seeking nominations for a five-member vetting committee.
“No response has been received to the letter nominating members, we will form the committee when the letter arrives,” said Khadija Tahera Bobby.
The National Human Rights Commission faced a similar fate.
It remained ineffective for most of the interim government’s tenure. Toward the end of that administration, the National Human Rights Commission Act was amended through a new ordinance.
Based on that ordinance, the interim government formed a five-member commission on February 6 this year, headed by Justice Mainul Islam Chowdhury, a retired High Court Division judge and former president of the Commission of Inquiry into Disappearances.
But the newly formed body resigned after the National Human Rights Commission (Amendment) Ordinance was repealed in parliament.
Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist Alena Khan said governments are often fearful of Human Rights Commission reports.
She said the commission works independently and reports to the government on the country’s human rights situation, including where progress is being made and where it is not.
“It will also give a picture of who is involved in it,” she said.
“I don’t see anything bad here. Rather, it is good for the government. The government will then find out what is there. But the government is also afraid that if this goes anywhere in the world, there will be a commotion. They are also afraid that we who are here will lose our jobs,” said Alena Khan.
“I think it should either be abolished, or else the full powers should be given to the human rights commissions like those in other countries, without reducing their full powers,” she added.
A law ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TIMES that a meeting with stakeholders has been scheduled at the Cirdap auditorium in the capital on 17 May to discuss ways to strengthen the national human rights law further.
“Next steps will be taken based on discussions with domestic and foreign stakeholders,” the official said.
The Anti-Corruption Commission has also remained without leadership.
The interim government had amended the Anti-Corruption Commission Act and issued an ordinance aimed at making the ACC more effective. That ordinance too was later repealed in parliament.
Although the ACC remained functional during the interim administration, the commission resigned on 3 March after the BNP government took office. No new commission has been formed since.
An ACC official, requesting anonymity, told TIMES that the commission receives an average of 150 complaints every day.
“If the commission is not formed, the investigation and investigation of these complaints will be hampered,” the official said.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the absence of the commission has crippled the ACC’s ability to perform its core responsibilities beyond routine administrative work.
Although investigations and cases approved before the resignation may continue, he said they are suffering from stagnation and weaknesses due to the lack of leadership.
“In reality, this situation has created a conducive environment for corruption. On the other hand, the legal obligation to form a new commission… It is embarrassing for the government that the ACC has been violated,” said Iftekharuzzaman.
“By keeping the ACC in abeyance indefinitely, has the government actually chosen the path of facilitating corruption in the continuation of authoritarianism?” he asked.
When asked about the progress in forming the Anti-Corruption Commission, Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Division Humayun Kabir could not provide any specific information to TIMES.
“I do not remember what stage it is now at; I will let you know when I recall,” said Humayun Kabir.
