Dhaka, March 15 -- Parliament has sent 133 ordinances issued during the interim government's 18-month tenure to a special committee for detailed scrutiny.

The move came on Sunday after Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman proposed in the House that the ordinances already placed before parliament be referred to the committee. The proposal was later passed by voice vote.

The ordinances had been promulgated under Article 93(1) of the Constitution while parliament was not in operation.

Under the Constitution, any ordinance must be laid before the first session of a new parliament and passed within 30 days of the start of that session, or it loses legal validity.

That requirement led the law minister to place the ordinances before parliament on Mar...