Advisers' Council Approves Amendments to Women & Children Repression Act

Law Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul shared that the government had prepared a draft amendment aimed at reducing the trial and investigation time for rape cases by half. The draft proposes cutting the investigation period from 30 days to 15 and reducing the trial duration from 180 days to 90 days. Dr. Nazrul emphasized that while speeding up trials is essential, ensuring fairness and justice remains the top priority. The draft has been circulated to key stakeholders for feedback.

In addition to the amendments to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, the Council also approved changes to the Public Procurement Ordinance, aimed at improving transparency and competition in government procurement. Notably, the provision requiring the rejection of tender proposals below 10% of the estimated cost has been removed. A new capacity-based evaluation system will replace the previous one, which often led to the same companies winning contracts. The Council also decided to increase the processing of tenders online from 65% to 100%.

Further decisions included amendments to the law governing abandoned property management and the declaration of an additional public holiday on April 3 for Eid. Additionally, an optional leave policy was introduced for indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to observe their cultural and social events.

Deputy Press Secretaries Apurba Jahangir and Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were also present at the briefing.