Landmark police commission ordinance approved
Staff Reporter :
The Council of Advisers on Thursday approved a series of major ordinances, including the Police Commission Ordinance 2025, in a move the interim government says is intended to modernise law enforcement, strengthen accountability mechanisms, and widen electoral participation ahead of the next national election.
The decisions were made at the council’s weekly meeting at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon, chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Briefing reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the afternoon, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said the newly approved Police Commission Ordinance will establish a five-member statutory Police Commission responsible for recommending reforms to make the police more efficient, transparent and citizen-oriented.
The commission will be chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge and include a retired district magistrate-level civil servant, a retired police officer of additional inspector general rank, a university professor, and a human rights or good-governance expert with a minimum of 15 years’ experience.
Rizwana said the commission’s primary objective is to ensure that policing in Bangladesh remains free from undue influence and anchored in professional standards.
Under the ordinance, the body will investigate public complaints against the police, mediate internal grievances within the force, assess training needs, and offer policy recommendations on discipline, human rights compliance, and modernisation of practices and equipment.
It will also conduct research on policing laws and submit its findings to the government.
Appointments to the commission will be made based on recommendations from a seven-member search committee composed of an Appellate Division judge nominated by the Chief Justice, the chairmen of the National Human Rights Commission and the Public Service Commission, the cabinet secretary, the home secretary, and two members of parliament.
Rizwana said the council also approved two significant amendments to the Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, aimed at clarifying the validity of postal ballots and formalising their counting method.
Under the revised law, expatriate Bangladeshis will—for the first time—be able to vote via postal ballots in national elections.
A ballot will be considered invalid if it contains more than one official seal where only one is allowed, contains no seal at all, or if the accompanying declaration form is unsigned by the voter.
Postal ballots received by the Returning Officer up to the close of polls on election day will be counted simultaneously with ballots cast in person.
In addition to electoral and policing reforms, the council gave preliminary approval to the Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance 2025 and the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance 2025, both of which aim to strengthen environmental protections and address long-standing enforcement gaps.
The Council of Advisers also finalised the Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2025, paving the way for the establishment of a national authority tasked with enforcing building safety standards, improving earthquake resilience, and promoting green and environmentally sustainable construction practices.
The authority will be staffed by architects, planners and engineers with at least 25 years of experience, and certified expert agencies will carry out field-level enforcement.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Deputy Press Secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were present at the briefing.