Land Minister Md. Rezaul Karim Hira on Tuesday placed a bill titled ‘Vested Property Return (Amendment) Act, 2013’ before the parliament that was passed through voice votes to ensure speedy disposal of cases and petitions on return of vested property. The Cabinet on April 1 approved the
amended ‘Vested Property Return Act, 2001’.Later, it was promulgated in the ordinance form as the parliament was not in session to make the amended version of the law effective.
Under the existing law, the cases and petitions on vested property under government possession or on lease are disposed of at tribunals, headed by district judges or equivalent judicial officer, and appeals on the cases of the tribunals are disposed of at the appellate tribunals, headed by the High Court judges.
A provision has been kept in the amendments to increase the number of tribunals and committees on vested property return to ensure justice.
The amendment proposed to set up tribunals at district level, headed by judicial officers, equivalent to senior assistant district judge, joint district judges and additional district judges while the appeals will be disposed of at the appellate tribunals, headed by district judge.
-With The Independent input
