The special parliamentary committee reviewing a large number of ordinances has so far examined more than 120, with its final report expected to be submitted on March 29, Law Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Wednesday.

“We have worked on nearly all the ordinances. A few need further in-depth discussion, which we will take up on the 29th. We hope to complete our review of all ordinances on that day and submit our report,” he told reporters after a committee meeting at Parliament.

The minister added that the committee would then proceed towards deciding whether the ordinances should be converted into laws or not.

When asked how many ordinances the committee had reached consensus on, he said that agreement had been reached on “over 120”, either in favour of retaining them or not proceeding with them.

However, he noted that the exact breakdown of how many would be upheld and how many would be dropped has not yet been finalised.

“We have not sorted that out yet. These matters are still under discussion,” he said.

On specific laws such as those relating to the Human Rights Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission, the minister said discussions are ongoing and no final decision has been taken.

He also said four ordinances related to the July Charter have been reviewed and that there is consensus on those issues.

The minister said the committee is working within constitutional obligations and emphasised that both the Constitution and the July Charter were guiding principles in the review process.

“We are proceeding with due regard to constitutional requirements,” he said.

Explaining the framework of the July Charter, he noted that its provisions distinguish between measures requiring constitutional amendment and those that can be implemented through ordinances or legislation.

Provisions under Articles 1 to 47 of the charter require constitutional amendments, while Articles 48 to 84 may be implemented through ordinances, laws or other mechanisms, he said.

He further said that any step taken in contradiction to the July Charter would be considered inconsistent with it and would be discussed in subsequent meetings.

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On whether the ordinances would be placed in Parliament for approval or introduced as bills, the minister said they would follow the standard legislative process.

“Laws will be passed in the usual manner,” he said, declining to elaborate further before the report is finalised.