PSC halts oath-taking of new members at students’ objection

The oath-taking ceremony for six newly appointed members of the Public Service Commission (PSC), initially scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed following objections raised by Dhaka University students. 

The students appealed to the Chief Justice, citing concerns about three of the appointees. 

Subsequently, the PSC also requested a deferment of the ceremony in a letter to the Registrar General's Office of the Supreme Court.

PSC Public Relations Officer SM Matiur Rahman confirmed the postponement on Wednesday evening (January 8). Talking to Jago News, he said, “A letter was sent from the PSC requesting the postponement of the oath-taking ceremony scheduled for Thursday. The Registrar General’s Office of the Supreme Court has informed us that the ceremony has been postponed.”

The PSC's letter cited "urgent work related to examinations" as the reason for the delay.

Earlier on the same day, a group of Dhaka University students submitted a petition to the Chief Justice, urging him not to administer the oath to three of the newly appointed members—Dr Syeda Shahina Sobhan, Brigadier General (Retd) AF Jaglul Ahmed, and Dr Md Mizanur Rahman.

In their petition, the students alleged that these three individuals were associates of the previous Awami League administration, which they described as "fascist." 

They further referenced media reports containing specific allegations against the trio. The students argued that allowing them to assume office would undermine the integrity of the PSC and called for the Chief Justice’s intervention to halt the oath-taking.

On January 2, the government appointed six new members to the PSC: Professor Dr Shahnaz Sarkar, Md Munir Hossain, Brigadier General (Retd) Dr AF Jaglul Ahmed, Dr Md Mizanur Rahman, Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury, and Professor Dr Syeda Shahina Sobhan.

These appointments bring the total number of PSC members to 14, following the earlier appointment of eight members in two phases.

Although the new appointees were scheduled to take their oaths and assume office this week, the controversy has cast uncertainty over the process. The students’ objections, coupled with the PSC's request for postponement, have led to significant delays, leaving the timeline for the oath-taking unclear.