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. Abdul Malek, former secretary to the government of Bangladesh, became Chief Information Commissioner on 22 March 2023, but was relived from duties on 10 September 2024.
History 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. The inclusion of two former civil servants as commissioners drew criticism.
Out of the three commissioners, one of them must be a woman. To removal procedure for a commissioner is the same as that of a judge of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. The two commissioners have the rank of a government secretary since 2014.
Decisions of the commission regarding request for information can be appealed in courts.
List of leaders Chief information commissioners +Sl. No.NameStart dateEnd dateReference1.M Azizur Rahman2 July 200910 Jan 20102.Muhammad Zamir31 March 20103 September 20123.Mohammed Farooq11 October 20129 January 20164.Md. Golam Rahman7 February 20166 January 20185.Martuza Ahmed18 January 201817 January 20236.Abdul Malek22 March 2023
Commissioners +Sl. No.NameStart dateEnd dateReference1.Mohammad Abu Taher2 July 20091 July 20142.Sadeka Halim5 July 20094 July 20143.Khurshida Begum Sayeed28 September 201431 January 20184.Nepal Chandra Sarker16 September 201415 September 20195.Dr. Abdul Malek30 January 202021 March 20236.Suraiya Begum29 May 201828 May 20237.Masuda Bhatti24 August 2023incumbent8.Shahidul Alam Jhinuk24 August 2023incumbent
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