A citizens’ platform has expressed deep concern over the recommendation of a special parliamentary committee to repeal several key reform ordinances, including those related to Supreme Court appointments and administrative independence.
In a statement issued on behalf of the Citizen Coalition on Saturday, its representative Fahim Mashrur said the organisation is “deeply concerned” about the report published on April 2 by a special parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing 133 ordinances promulgated during the interim government period.
The committee reportedly recommended scrapping four ordinances, notably the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance-2025 and the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance-2025, both of which were widely seen as key to strengthening judicial independence.
The coalition said these reforms had long been awaited and reflected broad expectations across society. "Any move to cancel them raises serious questions about the government's commitment to ensuring the independence of the judiciary, institutional balance, and the principle of separation of powers," the statement said.
Referring to the ruling BNP’s previously declared commitments, including its 31-point state reform agenda, 2026 election manifesto and the nationally endorsed July National Charter, the coalition argued that the proposed repeal appears inconsistent with those pledges.
It also noted that more than two-thirds of voters supported such reforms in the 2026 referendum, warning that reversing course will undermine the clearly expressed will of the people.
The statement further emphasised that demands for judicial independence and separation from the executive have been consistently raised over decades by political parties, human rights groups, civil society, and the legal community –forming a broad national consensus.
The Citizen Coalition urged the government to reconsider the decision and uphold its declared commitments by preserving reforms that strengthen the judiciary's institutional autonomy.
"Any change to the administrative structure of the judiciary must reinforce, not weaken, its independence," the statement added.