The High Court on Wednesday issued a rule upon the authorities concerned to explain as to why the inaction and inadequate step of the Information Commission in appointing information officers at all government and statutory organisations should not be declared illegal.
In response to a writ petition, the court also issued another rule asking persons concerned to come up with explanation why the non-recruitment of information officers at six organisations of the Judiciary should not be declared illegal.
An HC bench comprising Justice Mirza Hussain Haidar and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar issued yet another rule asking for reply as to why the authorities concerned should not be directed to take necessary steps to make the post of the information officer at all at all government and statutory organisations permanent and nontransferable.
The attorney general, the Supreme Court registrar, the Bangladesh Bar Council secretary, the district and session’s judge of Dhaka, the chief metropolitan magistrate of Dhaka, the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission secretary, the officer concerned of the Information Commission, its secretary, chief information officer and the public administration secretary have been asked to reply to the rules within two weeks.
On September 26, SC Barrister Abdul Halim filed the writ with the HC challenging the non-recruitment of information officers at the six organisations of the Judiciary –- attorney general office, SC, Bangladesh Bar Council, district and session’s judge court of Dhaka, chief metropolitan magistrate court of Dhaka and Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission.
The petitioner said as per the article 10 of the Right To Information Act 2009, it is mandatory to appoint information officers at all government and statutory organisations within 60 days from the date the law came into effect.
He also said he did not get information from the SC registrar although he approached him twice.
Halim filed the writ as information officers were not appointed in the six organisations even though he sought the Information Commission’s intervention in this regard.
Source: UNBConnect
