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Published : 15 Mar 2026, 01:44 PM
Parliament has sent 133 ordinances issued during the interim government’s 18-month tenure to a special committee for detailed scrutiny.
The move came on Sunday after Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman proposed in the House that the ordinances already placed before parliament be referred to the committee. The proposal was later passed by voice vote.
The ordinances had been promulgated under Article 93(1) of the Constitution while parliament was not in operation.
Under the Constitution, any ordinance must be laid before the first session of a new parliament and passed within 30 days of the start of that session, or it loses legal validity.
That requirement led the law minister to place the ordinances before parliament on Mar 13, the opening day of the first session of the 13th parliament.
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 examine them in detail.
The House on Sunday formally referred the ordinances to that committee and asked it to submit its report by Apr 2.
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.
The committee is now expected to review the ordinances and recommend which should be retained, amended or dropped before the constitutional deadline expires.
