Bangladesh appoints first female Chief Information Commissioner, ending two-year Information Commission paralysis

The government has appointed Jahangirnagar University professor Dr Nahrin Islam Khan as Bangladesh's new chief information commissioner, ending more than two years of leadership uncertainty at an institution responsible for protecting citizens' right to information.

Two journalists, S A M Mahfuzur Rahman and Khan Mohammad Abul Hossain, have been appointed information commissioners.

The appointments were announced on Saturday, October 17, according to reports by Jago News and Desh Rupantor. 

Nahrin is a professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Jahangirnagar University.

Her appointment as chief information commissioner places her at the head of a statutory institution that has remained largely dysfunctional since September 2024.

The previous chief information commissioner, Abdul Malek, and information commissioner Shahidul Alam were relieved of their duties on September 10, 2024, shortly after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.

The remaining commissioner, Masuda Bhatti, was removed on January 20, 2025.

The three positions had therefore remained vacant simultaneously for nearly 21 months, while the chief commissioner's post had been vacant for more than 25 months. 

The vacancies effectively paralysed the commission's core functions.

In the last two years hearings stopped and complaints accumulated. A Prothom Alo investigation published earlier this year reported that more than 600 complaints were pending.

The report also described the commission's Agargaon office as largely inactive, with no commissioners available to conduct hearings. 

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government repeatedly promised to revive the institution but left office without appointing its leadership.

During the interim administration, adviser Mahfuj Alam announced that new commissioners would be appointed soon. In 2025, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry also announced plans to reconstitute the commission.

A selection committee had been formed on November 10, 2024, but failed to deliver a functioning commission.

The prolonged paralysis drew criticism from Transparency International Bangladesh and right-to-information campaigners, who questioned why an administration promising transparency and institutional reform had left a key accountability body without leadership.

The BNP government subsequently reconstituted the five-member selection committee, replacing the panel established during the interim administration.

The new committee was headed by Supreme Court Appellate Division Justice Farah Mahbub.

Its other members included the cabinet secretary, lawmakers Andaleeve Rahman and Masood Sayedee, and National Press Club President Hasan Hafiz.

Under the Right to Information Act, 2009, the selection committee recommends two candidates for each vacant position, with the president making the final appointments. 

The Information Commission was established in 2009 to enforce citizens' statutory right to obtain information from public authorities.

Its responsibilities include hearing complaints, addressing refusals to disclose information and ensuring compliance with the law.

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