Even if dormant, the RTI Act’s promise remains powerful
April 17, 2026
As the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2009 remains effectively dormant in Bangladesh, RTI
advocates must now rely on the new government’s resolve to operationalise it. The law has
been inoperative due to the absence of information commissioners since the interim
government assumed power in August 2024 following a mass uprising—a situation that appears
to reflect deliberate inaction intended to shield its activities from public scrutiny. While
prioritising pressing issues in its early days, the current government has chosen to postpone
consideration of the slapdash RTI (Amendment) Ordinance, along with a few others, left behind
by the interim administration. While that matter must now wait, what cannot be delayed any
further is the urgent need to fill the vacant posts of information commissioners and restore the
law to full functionality.
This is important not only in its own right but also because the law’s effective use can help the
government fulfil its commitments—commitments in which citizens themselves have an
important role to play through the proper use of the RTI Act.
