JS Committee Rejects 20 Ordinances; ACC, Judiciary Reforms Sidelined

A special parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing 133 ordinances issued during the interim government’s tenure has recommended that 20 of these legal measures be effectively scrapped, including landmark ordinances concerning the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the prevention of enforced disappearances. 

Committee Chairman Zainul Abedin placed the comprehensive report in Parliament on Thursday, following an intensive review by a bipartisan body formed on March 12 during the first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangshad (National Parliament). 

Under constitutional rules, any ordinance not approved by Parliament within 30 days of its introduction will automatically lapse.

The committee’s report classifies the 133 ordinances into four distinct categories. 

It recommends that 98 ordinances be passed in their entirety, while 15 others—including the Police Commission Ordinance and the Anti-Terrorism Ordinance used to ban the Awami League's political activities—should be introduced as amended bills. 

Of the remaining 20 "failed" measures, the committee recommended that four be allowed to lapse or be repealed immediately via new legislation, while 16 others should not be introduced as bills in their current form but instead be "strengthened and revised" before being presented as entirely new legislation later. 

The four ordinances marked for immediate repeal include the National Parliament Secretariat (Interim Special Provisions) Ordinance 2024, the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance 2025, the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance 2025, and its 2026 amendment.

The decision to repeal the judicial ordinances has sparked significant debate, particularly regarding the "Supreme Judicial Appointment Council," which was designed to select Supreme Court judges independently through a body headed by the Chief Justice. 

Similarly, the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance sought to establish an independent secretariat to remove subordinate courts from executive control. 

In a formal note of dissent, three members of the opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami argued that these measures were "important and groundbreaking steps in ensuring the administrative independence of the judiciary" and would "end the control or influence exerted on judges by the executive branch." 

They maintained that the Secretariat would allow judges to perform duties "independently and impartially," which they termed "an important milestone in establishing an independent judiciary."

Furthermore, the 16 ordinances recommended for total restructuring include the Referendum Ordinance 2025—issued to facilitate a vote on the July National Charter—and the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, which had expanded the ACC’s powers to investigate crimes committed abroad. 

Opposition members again dissented, stating the ACC ordinance was "an important step in making anti-corruption activities more effective, transparent, and accountable." 

The committee also sidelined the Prevention and Remedy of Disappearances Ordinance 2025, which defined disappearance as an "ongoing crime" and provided for victim compensation. 

The government argued that "prior permission" should be required for investigations against security forces and that detentions for "national security" should be excluded from the definition of disappearance. 

In response, opposition members argued that "requesting permission is immunity," noting that families of the disappeared have failed to receive justice for 15 years because such permission is "never granted."

Other significant measures facing the axe or major revision include the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, the Microfinance Bank Ordinance 2026, and the Revenue Policy and Revenue Management Ordinance, which sought to separate tax policy from collection—a move that has already triggered protests among officials. 

Meanwhile, the ordinances recommended for full approval include the repeal of the Security of Family Members of the Father of the Nation Act, the Cyber Security Ordinance, and various laws renaming universities and institutions previously named after members of the Sheikh Hasina family. 

While the committee has suggested amendments for 15 other ordinances, such as the Women and Children's Repression (Amendment) Ordinance and the Bangladesh Labor (Amendment) Ordinance, the report did not specify the exact nature of the proposed changes.