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Bangladesh Press Council

autonomous · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Justice Md AKM Abdul Hakim (retd)
Role
Chairman
Annual budget
—
Staff
—
Established
1979
Legal basis
Press Council Act, 1974 (Act No. XXV of 1974); enacted by the parliament in 1974. The council was constituted and formally operationalised on 18 August 1979 under the powers conferred by the act.

The Bangladesh Press Council is actively building a nationwide journalist database (33 districts verified as of May 2026) and implementing the Press Accreditation Policy, 2025. The broader media reform debate centres on whether the proposed National Media Commission Ordinance, 2026 will subsume, duplicate, or complement the BPC's existing quasi-judicial mandate; the BNP-led government has signalled a consultative approach before enacting the commission. Journalist welfare support is channelled through the separate Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust, not the BPC directly.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

The Press Council Act was passed by parliament in 1974 (Act No. XXV of 1974) but the institution was formally constituted and operationalised on 18 August 1979; established_year reflects the operational date. The council has 15 members: a chairman (must be a judge or equivalent of the Supreme Court, nominated by the President), 3 working journalists, 3 editors, 3 newspaper/news agency owners, 3 expert-panel members (nominated by UGC, Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Bar Council), and 2 Jatiya Sangsad members nominated by the Speaker. Justice Md AKM Abdul Hakim (retd High Court Division) was appointed chairman on 27-28 November 2024 for a three-year contractual term; the Ministry of Public Administration issued the notification. The 12 members appointed in July 2025 include prominent editors such as Mahfuz Anam and Nurul Kabir, serving two-year terms. Journalist welfare financial assistance (sick/insolvent journalists, families of deceased, children scholarships) is administered separately by the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust (BJWT), not by the BPC -- the BPC's role is regulatory and quasi-judicial. The Press Accreditation Policy, 2025 is administered by the Press Information Department (PID) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, not the BPC, though the BPC's journalist database feeds into eligibility verification. The draft National Media Commission Ordinance, 2026 and Broadcasting Commission Ordinance, 2026 released by the interim government in late January/early February 2026 drew criticism for overlapping with the BPC's mandate and sidelining the Media Reform Commission's own draft instruments (Bangladesh Media Commission Ordinance, 2025 and Journalism Rights Protection Ordinance, 2025). Staff count and annual budget data are not publicly disclosed by the BPC or the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in accessible sources; fields left null.

Sources