Four bills get cabinet nod

The cabinet on Thursday approved, in principle and in final form, four draft laws aimed at updating Bangladesh’s legal framework on gambling, narcotics control, public examination offences and higher education.

The approvals came at the 10th Cabinet meeting held at the Cabinet Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presiding.

The Cabinet granted in-principle approval to the draft Gambling Prevention Act, 2026, which seeks to replace and modernise the Public Gambling Act of 1867 in response to the growing prevalence of both online and offline gambling facilitated by technological advancements.

The proposed legislation aims to help maintain public order, address gambling-related offences, reduce associated social and economic harms, and establish an updated regulatory framework for gambling activities.

The draft law introduces definitions for a range of gambling-related terms, including gambling premises, gambling equipment, digital assets, digital gambling platforms, digital wallets, online and remote gambling, betting, bookmakers, and match-fixing or spot-fixing.

It also proposes a range of penalties, including fines, imprisonment, or both, depending on the nature and severity of the offence.

The Cabinet also gave final approval to the draft Public Examinations (Offences) (Amendment) Act, 2026.

The amendment updates the Public Examinations (Offences) Act, 1980, to address offences committed through the misuse of digital technology in public examinations.

Under the proposed amendment, hacking or unlawfully altering public examination results or merit lists would constitute a new offence under the category of “digital manipulation”, punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine.

The amendment further provides for tougher penalties for organised examination fraud and offences involving criminal networks.
In addition, the Cabinet approved in principle the draft Bogura University Act, 2026.

The proposed legislation would replace the Bogura Science and Technology University Act, 2001, which was gazetted but never implemented.

Under the new framework, the planned institution would be established as a comprehensive public university offering education and research across a wide range of disciplines, including science, engineering, technology, arts, social sciences, business administration, law, agriculture and medical sciences.
The Cabinet also approved the draft Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act, 2026.

The amendment seeks to strengthen the existing Narcotics Control Act, 2018, in light of evolving patterns of drug trafficking, technology-enabled narcotics offences and challenges encountered during judicial proceedings.

Among its provisions is the establishment of specialised Narcotics Crime Suppression Tribunals to facilitate the handling of drug-related cases.

The draft also introduces measures to address cyber-enabled narcotics offences and proposes enhanced coordination among relevant agencies in preventing drug smuggling in border areas and conducting joint operations.
In addition, it includes provisions for the formation of specialised dog squads to improve the detection of narcotic substances.