No separate tribunal for drug cases

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle the draft of an amendment bill, dropping the provision of setting up separate narcotic control tribunals, to pave the way for competent courts to try narcotic-related crimes.

Amid a huge backlog of narcotic cases, the draft of the Narcotics Control (amendment) Bill, 2020 was cleared at the weekly cabinet meeting, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in the capital’s Tejgaon.

Briefing reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting, Cabinet Division Secretary (coordination and reform) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said the bill was brought to include a provision of holding the trial of narcotic-related cases in the courts having the jurisdiction for quick disposal of such cases and ease the huge backlog of drug-related cases.

He said necessary number of narcotics control tribunals were supposed to be formed in line with article 44 of the Narcotics Control Act, 2018.

But the Law and Justice Division is yet to set up any Narcotics Control Tribunal and it cannot entrust the tribunal’s responsibility to any additional district judge or sessions judge due to administrative reasons, said Mujibur.

“So, complexities have been created in disposal of cases filed under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018 since it became effective, and the number of pending cases filed under this law keeps growing day by day.”

As per article 44 of the proposed law, the courts, having the jurisdiction, can try the narcotic-related cases as per the gravity of crimes and a sessions judge or a metropolitan sessions judge concerned can fix one or more courts that have the jurisdiction to try narcotic-related crimes in their respective areas, the secretary said.

He said changes have been brought to 22 articles of the exiting law.

Meanwhile, the cabinet approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Tourism Corporation Bill, 2020 to remove some problems and obscurities from the exiting Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Order, 1972.

The Bill was brought to make the existing law a time-befitting one to increase collection of revenue from the tourism sector, said Mujibur.

With a four-member board of directors, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) now faces difficulty to take prompt decisions in coordination with other ministries and departments concerned, the secretary said.

Since the ministries and departments concerned have no representatives in the BPC board, it does get the desired assistance from the agencies for the development of the country’s tourism sector, he added.

“If the proposed law is passed, the board of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation will be formed with senior secretaries, secretaries and representatives of the ministries and departments concerned,” Mujibur said.

Besides, the cabinet adopted a felicitation motion greeting the Bangladesh U-19 cricket team for clinching the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020 trophy, beating India by three wickets in the final of the tournament in Potchefstroom, South Africa on Sunday.