Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Bill, 2023 placed in JS

The Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Bill, 2023 was placed in Parliament on Monday to curb land-related forgeries and offences, reports UNB.
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury placed the Bill and it was sent to the respective scrutiny committee for further examination. The Committee was asked to submit its report within seven days. In the proposed law, the land-related forgeries have been specified, and steps have been put in place to curb the crimes related to public and private lands. It also promises remedy to such offences.
A scope has been kept in the proposed law for the disposal of land-related disputes through arbitration alongside the court.
The maximum punishment for land forgery would be seven years of imprisonment while the minimum is a two-year jail term.
According to the bill, transfer of land, promotion of other's land in one's own name during survey and record updating, transfer of whole or part of any land to a particular person by concealing information, transfer of land by concealing the identity of the person and signing any document containing false information will be punished with a maximum of seven years of Imprisonment.
It said that after a document is executed, any part of the document fraudulently cut or altered without lawful authority shall be punishable with imprisonment for a maximum of seven years and fine.
The punishment for preparing any false document in whole or in part is also the same. Apart from this, if a person is forced to sign or change a document fraudulently, the same punishment shall also be served.
According to the bill, no person can occupy the land unless the right of ownership or possession has been acquired by the last khatian owner or his heirs or through a legally executed deed of transfer or possession or a court order. Illegal possession will be punishable with imprisonment for a maximum of two years.