Uprising participants: Special JS committee endorses indemnity

A parliamentary special committee yesterday agreed to recommend placing the July Mass Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Ordinance before parliament as a bill.

The ordinance was issued to provide legal protection to the people who took part in the July mass uprising.

The decision came at the committee’s first meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. It also decided to complete scrutiny of 133 ordinances promulgated by the interim government and submit its report by April 2, officials said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the committee was fully in agreement with the indemnity ordinance.

He said ensuring legal protection for the brave fighters of the uprising is a moral and state responsibility. He also said the government could amend the law after its passage if necessary.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Asaduzzaman said the committee had begun reviewing the 133 ordinances.

On how many issues consensus had been reached, he said it was too early to disclose details and that the findings would be made public once the report is finalised. He said the committee would prepare the report by April 2.

When asked whether the constitution or the aspirations of the July uprising would prevail in the event of a conflict, the law minister affirmed that the government would advance by harmonizing both, while underscoring that the constitution remains the ultimate authority.

Opposition Chief Whip and Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan, however, said priority should be given to the aspirations of the uprising, as it made the current parliament possible.

“We agree with the provisions of the ordinance,” he said.

Rafiqul said the committee discussed 27 ordinances on the first day and agreed on most aspects of all but five of them. He further said that some ordinances, including those related to enforced disappearance and the police commission, would require further discussion.

He said his party would support the government on issues that serve the country and its people but would take a firm stance on any matter that goes against the country, the people, or Islam.

Committee Chairman Zainul Abedin said the panel had completed initial scrutiny of less than half of the ordinances. Some members had raised observations on certain provisions, which would be discussed in the next meeting, he said, adding that members might also submit written opinions if needed.

The next meeting is at 2:00pm today, and more meetings will be held if necessary, he said.

The interim government issued the indemnity ordinance on January 26, providing legal protection to participants of the July uprising. It was deemed to have come into effect retrospectively from July 1, 2024, and covers actions carried out during the movement from July to August 2024.

In a separate decision, the committee also agreed to recommend placing the July Uprising Memorial Museum ordinance before parliament in its existing form. The ordinance, approved in October 2025, has provision for establishing a museum at the Gono Bhaban to preserve and honour the memory of the student-people uprising.

The ordinances promulgated during the tenure of the interim government were placed in the first sitting of the first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad. On the same day, parliament formed a special committee to review the ordinances. The committee was later asked to examine the ordinances and submit its report to parliament by April 2.