Home
+
Published : 24 Mar 2026, 01:43 PM
A special parliamentary committee formed to examine 133 ordinances issued during the interim government’s 18-month tenure has begun its first meeting.
The 13-strong committee started its meeting at 11:15am on Tuesday in the cabinet room of the parliament building.
According to the Parliament Secretariat, the panel is discussing the review of the 133 ordinances placed before parliament on Mar 12 and the submission of a report on them.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed spoke to reporters before joining the meeting.
He said the special panel had been formed under the Rules of Procedure because the ministry-related standing committees had not yet been constituted.
According to Salahuddin, the committee will examine whether some of the ordinances should be passed as they are, whether some require amendments and whether others need further revision.
“Some ordinances may be adopted as they are, some may be taken with amendments, and some may require further changes,” he said.
He said some of the 133 ordinances were seen as being inconsistent with the Constitution, while others reflected public expectations that emerged after the July Mass Uprising.
“We will uphold the aspirations of the July Uprising,” Salahuddin said.
He said ordinances recognising July activists and containing indemnity provisions for those who led or took part in the uprising would be accepted.
Salahuddin also said decisions taken by the interim government over the naming of different institutions could be reversed easily.
He said the committee would have to work quickly because of time constraints.
“The session was held on the 12th of March and will sit again on the 29th. Within this time, decisions must be made on the important ordinances,” he said.
Tuesday’s meeting formally began the committee’s review of the ordinances. Under parliamentary instructions, it is required to submit its report by Apr 2.
Under the Constitution, an ordinance must be placed before the first session of a new parliament and approved within 30 days of the start of that session, or it ceases to have legal effect.
That requirement led the law minister to place the ordinances before parliament on Mar 12, the opening day of the current parliament's first session.
After the ordinances were tabled in the form of bills, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed the formation of a 14-member special committee, led by Barishal-3 MP Zainul Abedin, to review them in detail. The proposal was approved by voice vote.
The Parliament Secretariat said the session will sit again on Mar 29 and continue until Apr 30.
Zainul Abedin is chairing the special committee. Its members are Dhaka-8 MP Mirza Abbas Uddin Ahmed, Cox’s Bazar-1 MP Salahuddin Ahmed, Barguna-2 MP Md Nurul Islam, Jhenaidah-1 MP Md Asaduzzaman, Kishoreganj-3 MP Muhammad Osman Faruk, Noakhali-1 MP AM Mahbub Uddin, Joypurhat-2 MP Md Abdul Bari, Panchagarh-1 MP Muhammad Nowshad Jamir, Natore-1 MP Farzana Sharmin Putul, Rajshahi-1 MP Md Mujibur Rahman, Sirajganj-4 MP Rafiqul Islam Khan and Satkhira-4 MP GM Nazrul Islam.
The package includes ordinances on Bangladesh Bank, the International Crimes Tribunals, the Supreme Court judges appointment process, cyber security, referendum rules, police commission, personal data protection, anti-corruption, voter lists and constituency delimitation.
It also includes several measures relating to local government bodies, public service recruitment, development authorities for Barishal, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Cumilla and Narayanganj, as well as laws on enforced disappearance, smoking and tobacco control, commercial courts and microfinance banks.
A number of politically sensitive ordinances are also among them, including the repeal of the law on security for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family members, amendments involving institutions named after Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Russell and Bangabandhu, and measures linked to the July Uprising, including welfare and rehabilitation for families of those killed and injured.
