PSC Chairman Sohrab, 12 members resign

Twelve members of the commission also submit their resignation letters to the president

Mohammad Sohrab Hossain, chairman of the Public Service Commission, or PSC, has resigned from his position.

The chairman, along with 12 members of the commission, submitted their resignation letters to President Mohammed Shahabuddin, PSC’s spokesperson SM Matiur Rahman told bdnews24.com on Tuesday.

The resignations were sent to Bangabhaban through the PSC secretary.

The members include former senior secretary Faiz Ahmed, former secretary EN Siddika Khanam, former professor of the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital Dr Uttam Kumar Saha, Zahidur Rashid, Prof Mubina Khondokar, Prof Delwar Hossain, KM Ali Azam, Md Khalilur Rahman, Prof Syed Md Golam Faruk, Md Maksudur Rahman Patwari, Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum, and Prof Pradeep Kumar Pandey.

However, as of 5pm, PSC members Helal Uddin Ahmed and Mohammad Shafiqul Islam had yet to submit their resignations, according to Matiur.

Sohrab, a retired senior secretary, took office as PSC chairman in September 2020. Amid public demands for the resignation of the entire commission following the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising, Sohrab was forced to step down a year before completing his five-year term.

The formation and functioning of the commission are outlined in a chapter of the Bangladesh Constitution (Part 9, Section 2), with the chairman and members being appointed by the president, typically on the advice of the prime minister. They serve for five years or until they reach the age of sixty-five.

While the Constitution does not specify the maximum or minimum number of members, a presidential ordinance issued in 1977 set the limit at 15 members, including the chairman.

The most recent composition of the PSC included one chairman and 14 members.

Under the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Act 2023, the commission can be formed with a chairman and between six and twenty members.