The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Act, 2026, paving the way for enforced disappearance to be criminalized as a standalone, cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offense under Bangladeshi law.
The approval came from a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Bangladesh Secretariat, confirmed Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Suzon Mahmood.
The draft law, proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, aims to prevent enforced disappearances, prosecute those responsible, trace missing persons, and provide compensation and rehabilitation for victims and their families.
Under the proposed law, courts will be empowered to issue search warrants to locate and recover disappeared persons. The legislation also allows trials in the absence of accused individuals, recognizes digital evidence, and provides protection for the identities and security of witnesses, complainants, whistleblowers, and victims.
It also recognizes victims’ right to receive updates on investigations, details of incidents, and information about the whereabouts or fate of disappeared persons.
The draft provides for government-funded legal aid, medical care, rehabilitation, and a compensation fund for victims. Compensation may be recovered from the property of convicted individuals, while the state will provide compensation if such recovery is not possible.
It also allows a disappeared person’s assets to be used for the maintenance of their spouse and dependent family members. In addition, the proposed law provides for the issuance of disappearance certificates after five years to facilitate inheritance-related procedures, the maintenance of a central database, and international cooperation on enforced disappearance cases.
The draft sets a maximum of 120 days for completing investigations and another 120 days for concluding trials.
Those convicted of enforced disappearance may face life imprisonment and a fine. If the offense results in death, a body is recovered, or the person remains missing for five years without being found alive or dead, the proposed punishment is death or life imprisonment, along with a fine of up to Tk1 crore.
The Cabinet approved the draft law subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.
Property law amendment approved
The Cabinet also approved the draft Transfer of Property (Amendment) Act, 2026, allowing donors to retain lifetime usufruct rights over gifted property.
The amendment, proposed by the Law and Justice Division, seeks to address a gap in the existing Transfer of Property Act, 1882, under which parents or grandparents who gift property to their children or grandchildren have no specific legal protection to continue using the property during their lifetime.
The proposed amendment will provide legal recognition and protection for such lifetime usage rights.
2026 essential medicines list, pricing method cancelled
The Cabinet also approved the cancellation of the Essential Medicines List 2026 and the Medicine Pricing Method 2026 following concerns over procedural compliance.
According to the Health Services Division, the cancellation was necessary because the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 2023 requires consultation with the National Drug Advisory Council before preparing the essential medicines list. The 2026 list and pricing method were prepared without such consultation.
The matter was subsequently challenged before the High Court and remains under judicial consideration.
The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services in the National Drug Advisory Council, which was formed on June 29, 2026, under the law.
The cancellation will not affect the essential medicines list prepared under the Health and Family Welfare Ministry’s 1994 order or the existing government price-control system for those medicines.
The government will update the essential medicines list and determine medicine prices in a way that protects consumers from additional financial pressure while ensuring fair competition in the market.