The cabinet has approved a draft of the Digital Security Act 2018, which amends parts of the ICT Act, including the section 57.
The approval was given at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at PMO on Monday.
The new law would render sections 54, 55, 56, 57 and 66 of the ICT Act defunct, Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam told the media at a briefing at the Secretariat after the meeting.
The new Digital Security Act clarifies offenses and their respective sentences.
According to bdnews24, both bail-able and non-bail-able offenses are included in the endorsed draft, the cabinet secretary said.
On August 22, 2016 a draft of the Digital Security Act received provisional approval from the cabinet.
The draft outlined a life sentence and a fine up to Tk 10 million for anyone involved in propaganda against the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The draft had also proposed a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison and fine up to Tk 10 million for a number of cybercrimes.
Cases filed under the ICT Act would still be tried under that law, the cabinet secretary had said at the time.
