The Cabinet on Monday cleared the Information and Technology (Amendment) Ordinance draft with a provision to enhance the maximum punishment for any violation of the law to 14 years of jail from the current 10 years. “The minimum punishment for violating the law has been proposed to be seven years in prison,” Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters adding that the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The cabinet secretary said an ordinance will be issued to prevent any kind of “misuse” of the act. The Information and Communication Act (ICT) was formulated back in 2006 with a provision of maximum punishment to 10 years of imprisonment for breaking the law.
Recently, the law enforcers arrested bloggers Mashiur Rahman Biplob, Subrata Odhikar, Rasel Parvez, Asif Mohiuddin, Amar Desh Acting Editor Mahmudur Rahman and human rights organization Odhikar’s Secretary Adilur Rahman in separate cases filed under this act.
“Some crimes were non-cognizable under the existing act. But the new act will make those cognizable meaning the police will be allowed to arrest the accused without any warrants,” Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said adding that certain specific offences would be non-bailable under the new act.
Detailing various changes brought under the draft ordinance, the cabinet secretary said that previously home ministry’s approval was a must before filing any case but now police themselves will have the power to file case taking crimes into cognizance under the new law.
Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said that under the new act, action might be taken against destroying information with a malicious intent, transfer of data without proper authority, hacking, release of vulgar and defaming information on the electronic media. In response to a question, the cabinet secretary denied that the government is hastily amending this law following the arrest of Adilur Rahman, secretary of human rights organization “Odhikar.” “This law was not made in haste. And no law is ever created for one man only,” he added.
The Cabinet on Monday also approved the draft of the Multilevel Marketing Activities (MLM) (Control) Act, 2013, with a provision of up to 10 years in jail for running such kind of businesses without licences.
Under the draft law, the government can take over any MLM company by issuing a gazette notification if it cheats its partners and shareholders. The authorities will appoint an administrator to run such an organization after taking it over, the cabinet secretary said.
He explained that the government has enacted the new law to protect the shareholders and the general public from cheating by some MLM companies. Also, the law aims to bring the companies under a legal framework.
“The draft law has a provision of maximum 10 years and minimum five years of rigorous imprisonment for running an MLM business without licences. All the MLM companies have to take licences from the appropriate authorities for running such categories of business,” he said.
“The government could cancel the licence of the MLM companies if the company violates rules,” Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said adding that the authorities will issue a gazette notification on this.
-With The Independent input
