Govt to correct legal error in Kazi Jesin’s appointment as BTV DG: Ministry

The government is set to correct a legal error in the notification appointing Kazi Jesin as the new director general of Bangladesh Television, after questions were raised over the validity of the law cited in the appointment order.

Jesin will remain in the post.

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Several Public Administration Ministry officials said the notification contained a legal error and that a decision had been made to amend it.

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New BTV DG appointed under dormant law

The move comes following a report published in The Daily Star today regarding the legal error in the appointment process.

State Minister for Public Administration Abdul Bari confirmed the development to The Daily Star this afternoon.

Bari said the government can appoint any qualified person as the DG of BTV. “But there was a legal error in the notification issued this time. It is being corrected, and a new notification will be issued soon,” he said.

“The Daily Star’s report correctly pointed it out. Work is underway on this matter, and the notification may be issued today,” the state minister added.

Questions arose over the legal process of the appointment after Kazi Jesin was appointed DG last Thursday under the “Bangladesh Television Authority Act-2001”.

The law states, “This Act shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, appoint.”

Neither the Ministry of Information nor the Ministry of Public Administration could provide information on whether the law mentioned in the notification is in force.

An official of the APD Wing of the Ministry of Public Administration said appointing the head of a department or agency requires approval from both the prime minister and the president.

However, fresh approval will not be required to correct the notification. Since the appointee is not being changed, the new notification will replace the previous one under the same memo number.

While BTV’s website lists at least 22 documents on the institution’s rules and regulations, there is no mention of the “Television Authority Act-2001”. According to reliable sources, although the law was passed in parliament during the tenure of the then Awami League government to grant autonomy to BTV, the law itself states that the government must issue a gazette notification to bring it into force.