When institutions falter, the defence of RTI falls to citizens
While 2025 was a year marked by despair over the paralysis of Bangladesh’s right to information (RTI) regime, the beginning of 2026 has brought a welcome note of resistance and resolve.
15 January 2026, 10:00 AM
15 January 2026, 10:00 AM
How RTI activists keep the law alive
Rather than retreating in the face of bureaucratic inertia, these RTI warriors have adopted a strategy of persistence.
15 December 2025, 05:00 AM
15 December 2025, 05:00 AM
Reviving the RTI regime is essential for our democratic journey
Will our political parties commit to safeguarding and revitalising RTI as a democratic instrument?
15 November 2025, 06:00 AM
15 November 2025, 06:00 AM
RTI: Are our political parties ready for transparency and accountability?
Political parties argue that they lie outside the RTI Act’s purview, not being obliged to respond to citizens’ RTI requests.
15 October 2025, 07:00 AM
15 October 2025, 07:00 AM
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO INFORMATION / A year of silence from the Information Commission
Restoring the Information Commission is not optional; it is a constitutional duty.
28 September 2025, 02:00 AM
28 September 2025, 02:00 AM
The hope of a new dawn for RTI and democracy
Election announcement and RTI act draft amendment bring hope.
15 August 2025, 05:00 AM
15 August 2025, 05:00 AM
Citizens lament RTI paralysis in Bangladesh
There seem to be differences in response depending on the authorities’ location.
15 June 2025, 02:00 AM
15 June 2025, 02:00 AM
How to use RTI when there are no information commissioners
The interim government should encourage all public officials to respond diligently to the citizens’ RTI requests.
15 May 2025, 05:00 AM
15 May 2025, 05:00 AM
How do our neighbours use the RTI law?
We can learn from how other countries in this region benefit from the law.
16 April 2025, 06:00 AM
RTI Act is on life support
Right to Information (RTI) Act in Bangladesh is in danger.
16 March 2025, 02:00 AM
Appoint missing commissioners to keep RTI Act alive
There appears to be a shift in the attitude of many public authorities towards the RTI Act.
16 February 2025, 02:00 AM
Right to information is meaningless without information commissioners
Delay in reconstituting the Information Commission is hindering transparency and accountability.
15 December 2024, 03:00 AM
We need a ‘public interest override’ in the RTI Act
Public interest should be the yardstick when balancing citizens' right to information concerning governance and state need to safeguard sensitive information.
15 November 2024, 05:00 AM
Time to put the RTI Act on the right track
The success of the RTI Act anywhere in the world largely depends on the determination and commitment of the citizens to put it to practical use.
15 October 2024, 05:00 AM
101 of the RTI Act for Bangladesh's youth activists
Bangladesh's RTI law is the best law to utilise in making a new Bangladesh where people's power reigns supreme in the true sense of the term.
16 September 2024, 02:00 AM
Right to information: Time for the sunshine law
Now is the opportunity for our youth to lead us in using existing laws to build a better country.
19 August 2024, 05:00 AM
RTI kept alive by rural, semi-urban citizens
In Bangladesh, those at the grassroots level with little knowledge about the intricacies of governance have found the RTI law useful and convenient.
15 June 2024, 06:00 AM
Citizens must use RTI Act to its full potential
The use of the RTI Act is not merely to focus on government work, but to operationalise good governance too.
30 May 2024, 02:00 AM
Right to information takes centre stage in Indian elections
The Indian Supreme Court's recent decision on electoral bonds underline the importance of citizens' role in exercising their right to information as watchdogs of good governance.
15 May 2024, 14:00 PM
Arrest and imprisonment of journalist over RTI request is ominous
The eruption of hostility surrounding the submission of a simple RTI request to a public official was uncalled for
16 April 2024, 02:01 AM
There is so much more to the RTI Act
Clearly, most citizens are unaware of the tremendous bounties the RTI Act has to offer
15 March 2024, 01:00 AM
Reassuring stories of progress
The RTI law has been kept alive over the years largely through the efforts of a few dedicated NGOs and die-hard RTI activists.
15 February 2024, 03:00 AM
RTI can help our new government fulfil its election pledges
The Right to Information Act, 2009 specifies a mechanism for citizens to access all information—with few exceptions—available to the government and many other public authorities.
15 January 2024, 02:00 AM
Our Information Commission has mettle after all
In the last few months, we have received some very encouraging feedback from users of the RTI law about the Information Commission's work.
15 December 2023, 03:00 AM
RTI unearths discrimination against female students
Bangladesh’s High Court has asked the authorities of a public university to allow pregnant and married female students to remain in the dormitories for the time being
15 November 2023, 03:00 AM
How right to information helped Sri Lanka manage its crisis
Through the RTI Commission of Sri Lanka, citizens could weight in on matters impacting the nation.
15 October 2023, 14:00 PM
The information commission is a prime mover of the RTI Act
The experiences of Sri Lanka and Pakistan are lessons for everyone concerned with promoting the right to information.
15 September 2023, 00:00 AM
If your court case is stuck for lack of evidence, try RTI
Indications of the growing maturity of RTI Act users and the increasing willingness of public officials to abide by its provisions are indeed welcome developments.
15 August 2023, 01:00 AM