4 ordinances to go, holding 16
A parliamentary special committee has recommended scrapping four ordinances issued during the tenure of the interim government while advising that 16 others, including those related to the Anti-Corruption Commission, referendum, and prevention of enforced disappearance, should not be approved in the current session of parliament.
The recommendations were placed before the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday by committee chairman Zainul Abedin.
According to the report, a total of 133 ordinances promulgated during the interim government led by Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus were reviewed by the committee, which includes members from both the ruling party and the opposition.
Of these, the committee recommended that 98 ordinances be introduced in parliament as bills without any changes.
Another 15 ordinances were suggested to be placed before parliament in amended forms through the relevant ministries.
However, the committee proposed that 20 ordinances should not be approved in the current parliamentary session.
Among them, four ordinances have been recommended for outright repeal through legislative action, while the remaining 16 should undergo further review and strengthening before being introduced as fresh bills at a later stage.
As a result, these 20 ordinances will effectively lose their validity after the constitutionally stipulated period if they are not approved by parliament.
Under the Constitution, an ordinance automatically ceases to have effect if it is not approved within 30 days of being placed before parliament.
Among the four ordinances recommended for repeal are the National Parliament Secretariat (Interim Special Provisions) Ordinance, the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance, 2025, and the Supreme Court Secretariat (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026.
Although the Constitution provides for a law governing the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court, such legislation had not been enacted for decades.
In 2025, the interim government introduced the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance for the first time.
Under the ordinance, a Supreme Judicial Appointment Council, headed by the Chief Justice, would select suitable candidates for appointment to both the Appellate Division and the High Court Division of the Supreme Court and recommend their names to the President.
The interim administration also promulgated the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance to establish an independent secretariat aimed at strengthening judicial independence and ensuring effective oversight and administration of subordinate courts.
Under that ordinance, the proposed secretariat would have been responsible for administrative and supervisory functions relating to subordinate courts and administrative tribunals, including matters concerning the posting, promotion, transfer, discipline and leave of judges.
The secretariat was to function under the overall authority of the Chief Justice, with a secretary serving as its administrative head.
Members of the opposition party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami submitted formal notes of dissent regarding the recommendation to repeal these judicial ordinances.
The committee also suggested that 16 ordinances should not be immediately introduced as bills. Instead, it recommended conducting further scrutiny and strengthening their provisions before presenting them to parliament as new legislative proposals.
These include ordinances related to the Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, the Referendum Ordinance, the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance Ordinance, the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, the Microfinance Bank Ordinance, and amendments to the Right to Information Act.
Opposition members from Jamaat-e-Islami also recorded dissent regarding several of these ordinances.
The Referendum Ordinance had been promulgated to facilitate a nationwide referendum aimed at securing public approval for implementing the proposed July National Charter following the political changes that emerged after the mass uprising of 2024.
Similarly, the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Ordinance sought to expand investigative and intelligence-gathering powers of the Anti-Corruption Commission, including provisions allowing the filing of cases directly, bringing serious financial crimes—including those committed abroad—under its jurisdiction, and increasing the number of commission members.
Another significant measure introduced during the interim period was the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, which restructured the existing system by separating revenue policy formulation from revenue collection activities under two separate divisions within the Finance Ministry.
The proposal had earlier triggered protests among government officials.
The government also issued the Microfinance Bank Ordinance on January 28, 2026, aiming to establish microfinance banks, although the ordinance has not yet been implemented.
The committee’s recommendations are expected to spark further debate in parliament, particularly regarding the future of reform initiatives introduced during the interim administration.
