The interim government has extended the special executive magistracy powers granted to commissioned officers in the armed forces – specifically, army officers of the rank of Captain and above – for an additional two months.
This decision was announced through a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Sunday (13 July).
According to the notification, commissioned officers of the Bangladesh Army holding the rank of Captain and above — including equivalent officers seconded to the Coast Guard and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) — will continue to exercise the powers of Special Executive Magistrates under Sections 12(1) and 17 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
Under the new extension, the powers will remain in effect from 14 July for the next 60 days. The notification further states that these powers can be exercised across the entire country.
As per the circular, the authorized military officers will be able to act upon a range of legal provisions under the Code of Criminal Procedure, including sections 64, 65, 83, 84, 86, 95(2), 100, 105, 107, 109, 110, 126, 127, 128, 130, 133, and 142.
It is worth noting that on 17 September last year, members of the armed forces – including the Army, Navy, and Air Force -were first granted special executive magistracy powers. Since then, the government has been extending the tenure in two-month intervals.