News Desk :
Parliament On Wednesday passed a Bill titled “Adalat Kartrik Tathya Projukti Byabohar Bill 2020” [use of information communication technology by court] in a bid to empower country’s courts in carrying out trial proceedings through videoconferences and other digital means.
Law Minister Anisul Huq placed the bill which was passed by voice votes.
This law was already promulgated by President Abdul Hamid with an aim to reduce the backlog of huge number of cases in different courts due to countrywide closure since March 27 to June 30.
The ordinance was approved by the cabinet on May 7.
According to the previous law, the trial proceedings were only run in physical presence of judges, counsels and witnesses in the court.
Following promulgation of the ordinance, it was possible to run the proceedings during the coronavirus situation as social distancing was necessary to contain the spread of Covid-19.
It was possible for the judges to run the trial proceedings of the cases through videoconferences and other digital means keeping the accused in jails, the lawyers in their residences and the witnesses in other places during the coronavirus crisis as per the ordinance.
Several opposition MPs of Jatiya Party and BNP proposed several amendments to the bill which were rejected by voice votes.
They also demanded withdrawal of the bill — the demand was also rejected by voice votes.
