Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Thursday said the interim government has so far withdrawn 752 harassment cases filed against students and members of the public who took part in the July-August mass uprising.
“Recommendations have been made to withdraw over 15,000 politically motivated cases after thorough review of first information reports (FIRs) and charge sheets by the concerned district committees and the Law and Justice Division,” he said.
Speaking at a press briefing, Dr Asif Nazrul added that, in addition to these, the government has also withdrawn 408 speech offense cases filed under the cyber act and 752 harassment cases linked to the July-August uprising.
“As a result of these steps, thousands of political leaders, activists, and individuals expressing dissenting opinions have been freed from legal harassment,” he said while briefing reporters at the Secretariat on the activities of his ministry over the past year.
It has been nearly a year since the formation of the interim government on August 8, 2024, which came into being following the immense sacrifices made by students and the general public during the historic July uprising, the law adviser said.
“In order to uphold the spirit and fulfill the aspirations of that movement, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has undertaken a series of initiatives over the past year. These initiatives can be broadly categorized into four key areas—legal reforms, institutional reforms and digitalization, withdrawal of harassment cases, and day-to-day administrative functions,” he added.
The adviser, while speaking about legal reforms, mentioned the amendment to the ICT Act, the Supreme Court Judge Appointment Ordinance 2025, the amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure, reforms of criminal law, the amendment to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, and the formulation of the Cyber Security Ordinance 2025.
He also elaborated on the institutional reforms and digital initiatives introduced by the government.
“To ensure the independence of the judiciary, the government has formulated the ‘Bangladesh Judicial Service Formation Rules, 2025,’ along with specific rules for the appointment of Judicial Service officers to the Law and Justice Division by entrusting the authority to create posts in the Bangladesh Judicial Service to the Bangladesh Supreme Court,” said the adviser.
He further said actions have been taken following a review of the asset declarations submitted by judges of the subordinate courts, along with an examination of their financial documents. Additionally, personal information records have been compiled for all sub-registrars to tackle corruption.
“We have also established a special cell at the ministry to monitor prosecution activities related to various crimes committed against students and the general public during the July-August mass uprising. Additionally, we have successfully transformed the ministry’s attestation service into a fully online system,” Dr Asif Nazrul added.
