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Three major legislative bills aimed at institutionalizing human rights protections, criminalizing enforced disappearances with severe penalties, and securing lifetime usufruct rights for elderly property donors were formally introduced in the Jatiya Sangsad today.
During the ongoing parliamentary sitting on Thursday (August 27), Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman tabled the "National Human Rights Commission Bill, 2026" and the "Transfer of Property (Amendment) Bill, 2026." Concurrently, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed moved the "Prevention and Redress of Enforced Disappearance Bill, 2026." Following their introduction, Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal referred all three proposed statutes to the respective parliamentary standing committees, instructing them to submit scrutiny reports within two working days.
The "Prevention and Redress of Enforced Disappearance Bill, 2026" establishes enforced disappearance as a distinct, non-bailable, non-compoundable, and cognizable criminal offense punishable by life imprisonment. In severe cases where a victim dies or remains missing for over five years, the draft law prescribes capital punishment or life imprisonment, alongside monetary fines reaching up to Tk 1 crore.
Emphasizing the core philosophy behind the anti-disappearance legislation, the Home Minister noted in the statement of objects and reasons:
"This legislation is being formulated to uphold fundamental human rights, human dignity, personal liberty, and the institutional rule of law across the republic."
Under the proposed anti-disappearance framework, courts will hold the authority to issue immediate search warrants, conduct trials in absentia, admit digital forensics, and enforce stringent protective measures for witnesses, whistleblowers, and victims' families. The draft guarantees relatives the right to access investigation progress, establish the truth behind incidents, and ascertain the fate of missing persons. It also mandates a state-funded legal aid and rehabilitation fund financed via convicts' confiscated assets or state funds, establishes a centralized database, facilitates international mutual legal assistance, permits dependent families to utilize a missing person’s assets for basic sustenance, and issues formal declarations after five years to settle inheritance matters. Both investigative and trial phases must conclude within a strict 120-day timeframe, with standard investigative duties remaining with the regular police force.
Meanwhile, the "National Human Rights Commission Bill, 2026" seeks to repeal the National Human Rights Commission Act of 2009 to institute a fully autonomous and restructured statutory body. The revamped commission will feature a chairman and four commissioners—including mandatory female representation and prioritized inclusion for ethnic minorities and marginalized communities—recommended via a selection panel comprising a university professor, civil society delegates, and community representatives. The bill simplifies public grievance lodgment, empowers the commission to issue interim protective injunctions during ongoing inquiries, and sets up a dedicated "National Preventive Mechanism" (NPM) wing under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) to prevent torture, custodial deaths, and disappearances.
The "Transfer of Property (Amendment) Bill, 2026" introduces comprehensive amendments to the historic Transfer of Property Act, 1882, by adding Sections 122A and 122B. The new legal instrument formally recognizes conditional gifting with retained lifetime usufruct, permitting parents, grandparents, and direct donors of all faiths to deed immovable properties to designated blood relatives or spouses while legally retaining absolute possession, occupancy, and utility rights until death. The statute will operate independently without compromising Islamic Heba principles or conventional unconditional gifts.
The legislative push also addresses a statutory vacuum created after 20 ordinances promulgated during the interim government—covering human rights frameworks, referendums, and disappearance prevention—lapsed due to the expiration of constitutional timelines without timely parliamentary ratification.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/national/1f1a231c-7609-6990-ab6d-a24dd16b3a42