The High Court has directed the judges to conclude cases of rape and murder after rape within 180 days or six months.
The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman issued seven directives for the disposal of such cases on Thursday (Jul 18).
The directives were issued after three rape suspects moved the HC for bail.
The court has also ordered the tribunals to hear the case at a stretch for every working day till conclusion under Sec 20 of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000.
It also ordered the formation of a monitoring committee, comprising of an additional magistrate, additional superintendant of police, a civil surgeon representative and a public prosecutor of the tribunal in each district.
The committee will be responsible for ensuring the presence and security of the witnesses and at the court during the hearings.
The public prosecutors will act as the coordinators of the committees and likewise, discharge duties and be responsible for sending progress reports to the Supreme Court, law and home ministries.
According to the directives, the monitoring committees will be held accountable if the state fails to produce the witnesses before the court on the scheduled days.
The committees will also monitor whether summons are issued to the witnesses at the earliest.
The tribunal has been directed to recommend departmental action against official witnesses like magistrate, police, doctors, and other experts if they do not appear before the court to testify without valid reasons. The action may include holding their paychecks if necessary.
The HC bench said that laws for the protection of the witnesses should be drafted very soon and hoped that the government will do it shortly.