The newly appointed six-member search committee to form the Election Commission (EC) will pay a courtesy call on President Md. Shahabuddin on Wednesday (November 20) evening.

The President's Press Secretary Md. Joynal Abedin said that the members of the newly appointed search committee will meet the President at 6:15 pm today.

A search committee has been formed comprising the following persons to recommend the names of qualified persons as per the law for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners as per Section 3 of the 'Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2022'.

The search committee will be chaired by Justice Zubair Rahman Chowdhury, Judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

The other members of the search committee for the EC restructuring are Justice AKM Asaduzzaman, Judge of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, Auditor General and Comptroller of Bangladesh, Chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, and former Professor of the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University, Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar and former Chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Professor Dr. Jinnatun Nesa Tahmida Begum.

A notification signed by Cabinet Secretary Dr. Sheikh Abdur Rashid regarding the search committee was published on October 31, 2024.

The notification states that the search committee will carry out its duties and procedures in accordance with the 'Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commission Appointment Act 2022'.

In that case, the Cabinet Division will provide necessary secretarial support to the search committee in carrying out its work.

The Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) has expressed deep concern over the cancellation of accreditation cards of more than a hundred journalists.

This concern was expressed at a meeting of the organization on Tuesday (November 19).

A NOAB press release said that the move to cancel the accreditation cards of journalists has tarnished the image of the interim government. It has questioned the government's commitment to freedom of the press and expression. The nation does not want to return to the dark days of the past several years.

The release also said that this decision to cancel the accreditation cards is a threat to the free press. One of the affected journalists is the publisher-editor of the country's oldest daily. NOAB sincerely requests that the government immediately restore the accreditation cards of journalists so that the environment for freedom that the interim government is trying to create is more fruitful. Noab hopes that the interim government will take appropriate action in this regard soon.

Since the interim government took office on August 8, the Directorate of Information (PID) has canceled the accreditation cards of 167 journalists in three phases. The list includes the names of many professional journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and Dhaka Journalists Union (DUJ) have previously expressed concern over the mass cancellation of journalists' accreditation cards.

Dhaka:The students have withdrawn their protest that has been going  on for the past two days on assurance of a feasibility study of converting Titumir College in the capital into a university.

On Tuesday (November 19) afternoon, student representatives met with Adviser Nahid Islam and the Special Assistant to the Education Adviser at the Secretariat.

After the meeting, the protesting students said that the government has decided to form a committee within the next seven working days to observe whether it is possible to convert Titumir College into a university. As a result, the students are not on the streets for the time being.

In this regard, Titumir College student Matiur Rahman Joy told the media that during the discussion, the government has assured to form a committee and review our demands. The committee will investigate and submit a report. We have accepted the proposal and are withdrawing the protest for the time being.

Education Ministry official Dr. Aminul Islam said that the committee will be formed within the next week. They will complete the observation and submit a detailed report.

The students claimed that there is no university in the Dhaka North region, so there is a lack of specific opportunities for students in this region to pursue higher education. Converting Titumir College into a university can fill this gap and increase the facilities of higher education for students in the northern region of the capital.

Earlier, the students held a road and railway blockade program at the Mohakhali intersection from morning to afternoon on Monday. During the blockade, the protesters attacked an intercity train that was crossing the Mohakhali rail crossing. As a result, many women and children among the train passengers were injured and bloodied by their bricks and stones. This created strong criticism across the country.

Three judges of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court have resigned.

They are Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury, Justice Kazi Reza-ul Haque and Justice AKM Zahirul Haque.

The Law Ministry announced this information in a notification on Tuesday (November 19).

The notification said that three judges of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court have submitted their resignations to the President. The President has accepted the resignations of these three.