The Jatiya Sangsad (JS) passed the 'Law and Order Disruption Crime (Speedy Trial) (Amendment) Bill-2014' on Thursday with a provision to extend tenure of the speedy trial law for more five years, reports BSS.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan moved the bill in the House for its passage.
Earlier, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs Tipu Munshi placed the report on the bill in the House Wednesday.
Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu on behalf the state minister for home affair introduced the bill on March 30.
The law was first enacted on April 10, 2002, for two years in order to curb crimes and ensure fast prosecution.
Later, it was amended thrice in 2004, 2006 and 2012. The law will be useful in dealing with offences like extortion, attacks on property, threats, causing disruptions to public movement and street violence.
UNB adds: The Bill was passed by voice vote four days before the current law expires on April 7.
This was the first act passed by the 10th parliament since it was elected in the January 5 general election.
The amendment means the speedy trial act will be in force until April 7, 2019 retaining the provision of maximum five years and minimum two years of imprisonment for serious crimes.
The Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) Act was first promulgated in 2002, by the then BNP-led government for a period of two years.
Since then the law survived through extensions despite changes in the government.
The current government felt the need to extend the tenure of the Act to contain, investigate and hold trial of some major crimes and settle those quickly apart from dissolving the pending 1703 cases without any delay, the bill said in its objectives.
