Parliamentary committee agrees on indemnity for July Uprising participants

A special committee of the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) has begun reviewing 133 ordinances issued during the tenure of the interim government.

At its first meeting held today, Tuesday at the parliament building, the committee discussed 40 ordinances.

The committee reached a consensus on the “July Mass Uprising (Protection and Determination of Liability) Ordinance-2026,” which grants indemnity to participants of the July uprising. The special committee will recommend it for approval in parliament.

The ordinances issued during the interim government were placed at the first sitting of the first session of the 13th parliament. On the same day, a special committee was formed to review them, and it was asked to submit its report to parliament by 2 April. The committee will meet again tomorrow, Wednesday to continue the review.

After the meeting, committee chairman Zainul Abedin told journalists that less than half of the ordinances had been examined so far. Some members expressed differing views on certain issues, which will be discussed in the next meeting or submitted in writing if necessary.

He added that the committee will reconvene at 2:00 pm tomorrow and may hold additional meetings if all reviews are not completed. They hope to submit the report within the 2 April deadline.

Later, Zainul Abedin said about 40 ordinances had been discussed, but some required further clarification and were therefore kept pending for future discussion.

Seven ordinances related to the Ministry of Home Affairs were also discussed. Leaving the meeting midway, Home Minister and committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said it would not be possible to decide on all 133 ordinances in a single meeting, and several more sessions would be required.

Responding to journalists, he said consensus had been reached on many issues, including full agreement on the “July indemnity.” Any amendments, if needed, could be introduced later.

Law Minister Asaduzzaman said discussions were ongoing and it was too early to specify how many ordinances had reached consensus. Details would be disclosed once the report is published.

On whether the constitution or the aspirations of the July uprising should take precedence in case of conflict, the law minister said they aim to harmonise both, though the constitution must remain paramount.

After the meeting, opposition lawmaker from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Rafiqul Islam Khan, said they agreed with the provisions ensuring protection for July participants. He added that most of the ordinances discussed would be recommended to parliament.

However, he said that in case of a conflict between the constitution and the aspirations of July, priority should be given to the latter.

“The constitution is for the people, not the people for the constitution,” he said, adding that changes could be made if necessary to uphold the spirit of July.

Meeting sources said that on the first day, ordinances related to various ministries—including the Cabinet Division, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Land, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ministry of Housing and Public Works—were discussed. However, no final decisions were reached on all of them.

Committee member Gazi Nazrul Islam said discussions included keeping some ordinances unchanged, amending others, and making changes where necessary. He added that a proposal was made to raise the maximum age limit for entry into government jobs to 33–35 years, but the committee agreed to keep it at 32.

The committee also agreed to keep the “July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum Ordinance-2025” unchanged.

The meeting, chaired by Zainul Abedin, was held at the cabinet room of the parliament building and attended by members including Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Chief Whip Nurul Islam, Law Minister Asaduzzaman, Muhammad Osman Faruk, AM Mahbub Uddin, State Minister for Public Administration Abdul Bari, Muhammad Naushad Zamir, State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, Mujibur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam Khan, and GM Nazrul Islam.