Dhaka: The Cabinet has approved the draft of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act, 2026, aiming to criminalise enforced disappearances and ensure justice, compensation, and rehabilitation for victims. This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Home Affairs presented the draft law to the Cabinet, which granted its final approval pending vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division. The proposed law categorises enforced disappearance as a distinct criminal offence, specifying it as cognisable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable. It seeks to uphold human rights, personal liberty, and the rule of law.
The draft law outlines a comprehensive framework for preventing enforced disappearances, prosecuting responsible individuals, locating disappeared persons, and safeguarding the rights of victims and their families. It includes provisions for search warrants to recover disappeared persons, trials in absentia for the accused, acceptance of digital evidence, and protection measures for witnesses, complainants, whistleblowers, and victims.
Victims have the right to receive updates on investigation progress, details of the incident, and the status or fate of the disappeared person. The draft law provides for government-funded legal assistance, medical care, rehabilitation, and a compensation fund for victims. Compensation may be sourced from the property of convicted individuals, or provided by the state if recovery is not feasible.
Additional provisions include the use of a disappeared person’s property for the maintenance of their spouse and dependent family members, issuance of a disappearance certificate after five years to aid inheritance proceedings, and the establishment of a central database on enforced disappearances. The law also outlines international cooperation on related cases.
The draft mandates a maximum of 120 days for completing investigations and another 120 days for trials. The proposed punishment for enforced disappearance is life imprisonment and fines, with the possibility of a death sentence or life imprisonment with a fine of up to Tk 1 crore if the disappearance results in death or if the person remains missing for over five years.
Previously, the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025, was enacted during an interim government but lost effect as it was not ratified by the current Parliament.
In other decisions, the Cabinet approved the draft of the Transfer of Property (Amendment) Act, 2026, presented by the Law and Justice Division. This law permits donors to retain usufruct rights for life, allowing continued use and enjoyment of property. It addresses the absence of provisions in the existing Transfer of Property Act, 1882, for parents or grandparents donating property while retaining usage rights.
Furthermore, the Cabinet decided to cancel the Essential Medicines List 2026 and the Drug Pricing Method 2026 due to their preparation without required consultation with the National Drug Advisory Council. Both matters are currently pending in the High Court.