From Jatyia Sangsad Bhavan: The Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) (amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday night (July 9) with a view to increase the duration of the law and maintaining the law and order situation of the country under control.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal moved the bill in the House which was unanimously passed by voice votes with Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah in the chair.
Earlier, the proposed bill was placed in the parliament on June 25 and the parliamentary standing committee concerned was asked to submit its report within seven days.
Placing the bill, the home minister said the original Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) Act was first enacted in 2002.
The trial of some offences disrupting the law and order situation like extortion, disrupting traffic movement, vandalism, tender manipulation, giving threats, mugging, terrorizing people as well as vandalism of moveable and immovable properties will come under the purview of the amended law as in the existing one, he added.
According to the amended draft law, he said anyone responsible for committing crimes disrupting law and order will face minimum two years and maximum seven years of rigorous imprisonment along with fine.
In the existing law, the punishment is minimum two years’ imprisonment and maximum five years’ imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the government earlier extended for six times and the duration of the law was fifteen years.
Later, the government has extended the duration of the law for five years on April 7 in 2014 and the tenure was expired on last April 9, 2019.
BNP lawmakers Harunur Rashid, Rumeen Farhana, Jatiya Party lawmaker Fakhrul Imam, Rawshan Ara Mannan and Gonoforum Mukabbir Khan opposed the bill. They proposed to send it for seeking public opinion on the law but was rejected by voice vote.