The government is going to amend the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with a provision that investigations into rape cases must be completed within 15 days and trials to be concluded within 90 days, said Law Adviser Asif Nazrul on Sunday.
"We are also cutting the investigation time in rape cases by half from the previous time. Earlier it was 30 days, now we are making it 15 days. We are also halving the trial time. The trial of rape cases must be completed within 90 days,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.
No one can be granted bail on the pretext of not completing the trial within 90 days, he said.
Under the current law, bail could be granted if the trial was not held within 180 days but according to the amended law, no bail can be granted in rape cases, he added.
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However, the interim government is also taking many initiatives, said the adviser.
Referring to the rape incident in Magura, Asif said “We strongly condemn this rape incident and are determined to ensure speedy justice in this case.”
To ensure the speedy trial, the government has made an amendment in the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, he said.
The eight-year-old girl, a class III student of Jaria Government Primary School, in Sreepur upazila, was raped when she visited her sister’s in-laws’ house at Nijnanduali village in Magura’s Sadar upazila.
Mentioning about the recent mob justice, Asif said the government has taken steps to address the incidents of mob justice and moral policing that have taken place in the last few days.
The culprits have been arrested and the process of further arrests is underway, he said.
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All incidents are under the government's watch, he added.
“We want to assure the countrymen that no criminal will go beyond justice,” said the adviser.
In order to curb violence against women, the government has been regularly reviewing all recent rape cases for speedy disposal, he said.
Besides, a hotline will be introduced to prevent sexual harassment.