The Cabinet has extended the term of the Speedy Trial Act by five more years till 2024.
This was decided at a cabinet meeting on Monday (May 27) after it approved the final draft of the Law and Order Disrupting Crime (Speedy Trial) (Amendment) Act 2019 with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Term of the Act expired on Apr 19 this year and it has been extended until Apr 30, 2024, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told the media after the meeting.
“The Cabinet extended the term as proceedings of several sensational cases are going on under the Act.”
No change has been made to its provisions, he added
Promulgated in 2002 by the BNP-led coalition government, the act was first effective for two years.
Since then, its term had been extended several times.
In 2014, the Awami League-led coalition government extended the act’s term for five more years.