Parliament on Wednesday passed the July Mass Uprising (Protection and Accountability) Bill, 2026, granting immunity to participants of the July–August 2024 movement.
The bill was passed on the 11th day of the first session of the 13th Parliament, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed in the chair. It had earlier been promulgated as an ordinance by the interim government and was later placed before Parliament by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.
Clause 4 of the bill provided for the withdrawal of all civil and criminal cases filed against participants over their involvement in the uprising. It also barred the filing of any new civil or criminal cases or complaints related to the movement.
The clause, however, allows allegations of killings during the uprising to be submitted to a commission, which will arrange investigations.
A proviso stated that, notwithstanding anything in the National Human Rights Commission Act, if a victim was affiliated with any institution or force, the commission shall not assign the investigation to anyone currently or previously employed by that institution or force. It also requires prior approval from the commission, based on reasonable grounds, before any arrest or detention of an accused during the investigation.
According to the bill’s explanation, if the commission finds that an alleged act constituted criminal misuse of a disorderly situation, it will submit a report to the competent court, which will treat it as a police report and proceed accordingly.
Conversely, if the commission determines the act was part of political resistance, it may direct the government to provide compensation to the affected family. In such cases, no suit or other legal proceedings related to the act may be initiated in any court.