Dhaka: Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced today that the government is considering a reduction in the life imprisonment term from the current 30 years to a more reasonable period. This initiative aims at facilitating the release of older prisoners.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the existing life imprisonment term is stipulated by the Penal Code of 1860, which sets it at 30 years in Bangladesh. The Home Adviser mentioned that although discussions are underway to reduce this period, no final decision has been reached.
Speaking to journalists after a Core Committee meeting on law and order at the Home Ministry in Bangladesh Secretariat, the Home Adviser noted that age considerations might result in different imprisonment terms. For women, the term could be reduced to 20 years, while for men, it might be slightly longer.
He emphasized that the provision of life imprisonment would depend on the age of the accused at the time of sentencing and reiterated that no finalization has been made yet.
The meeting also addressed multiple other issues, such as police training, preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections, measures to prevent kidnapping, theft, and robbery, strategies to halt drug entry through the border, preparations for the upcoming Durga Puja, recovery of looted weapons, and the RAKSU and CHAKSU elections.
Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Nasimul Ghani and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam were among the key figures present during the briefing.