Jail term in speedy trial cases raised

The House yesterday passed the Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) (Amendment) Bill, 2018 raising jail term to seven years from five years for disrupting law and order.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal placed the bill before parliament seeking its immediate passage.

The House with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair passed the bill by voice votes, rejecting all the amendment proposals put forward by the opposition lawmakers.

It took less than 10 minutes to pass the proposed law.

Six Jatiya Party and one independent lawmakers submitted notices to bring amendment to the bill. But only two of them were present to take part in the discussion.

JP MPs Nurul Islam Oamar and Rawshan Ara Mannan urged the home minister to withdraw the bill and send it to the committee for opinions.

They alleged that police often misuse the law and punish innocent people.

They also called upon the home minister to take measures so that the law-enforcement agencies properly enforce the law.

In reply, the home boss rejected their appeal saying Bangladesh's police are very efficient and have been discharging their duties effectively.

According to the bill, anyone responsible for committing crimes disrupting law and order will face minimum two years and maximum seven years of rigorous imprisonment in addition to fine.

The home minister mentioned in the bill that it is necessary to increase the length of punishment to seven years to further improve and maintain the law and order.

Besides, increasing punishment would also make the existing law time-befitting, he added.

According to the bill, trial of some offences disrupting law and order like extortion, disrupting traffic movement, vandalism, tender manipulation, issuing threats, mugging, terrorising people as well as vandalism of public property and immovable property will come under the purview of the amended law.

Under the proposed law, the government on special power will appoint a first class magistrate to conduct the speedy trial court.

The original Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) Act was first framed in 2002.

In the existing law, the punishment is minimum two years' and maximum five years' imprisonment. Earlier, the cabinet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair approved the bill.