The High Court (HC) on Tuesday asked government authorities to explain why new legislation should not be introduced to ensure what it termed “rational punishment” for offences involving the hurting of religious sentiment.
A bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Asif Hasan issued the rule following an initial hearing on a writ petition.
The Law Ministry Secretary and other relevant officials have been instructed to submit their responses within four weeks.
Lawyer Md. Golam Kibria, who represented the petitioner, said the writ filed on November 30 seeks a directive for enacting a law that would introduce the death penalty as the maximum punishment for hurting religious sentiment.
Kibria told the court that existing laws, including the Bangladesh Penal Code and the Cybersecurity Act, currently allow for a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment for such offences.
He argued that significantly stronger punishment is necessary to deter future violations.
The court will review the matter after receiving the government’s reply.
