The government is going to make a new law for ensuring cyber security, Law Minister Anisul Huq said yesterday.

"All the contradictory sections of Information and Communication Technology [ICT] Act, including section 57, will be removed through the proposed Digital Security Act," he told the BBC Bangla last night.

Earlier, Anisul and state minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak held a meeting to discuss the draft of the proposed law at the secretariat. Top ministry officials were also present at the meeting.

"There is no need for sections 54, 55, 56 and 57 of the existing ICT Act. The sections will be repealed through the new law," said the minister.

But confusions remain as the minister said the ICT Act will still be valid.

He also said the government was bringing all the sections of the cyber crimes in one place in the ICT Act.     

"There will be provisions of maximum 14 years' imprisonment in the proposed Digital Security Act-2016, aiming to tackle the menace,” the UNB quoted the minister as saying after the meeting.

The minimum punishment for cyber crime will be decided in line with the gravity of the crime, he added.

Legal experts say section 57 of the ICT Act goes against people's right to freedom of expression and free speech. They also allege that the section is so vague that law enforcers can interpret it as they will to arrest anyone anytime.

Particularly, experts add, the section contains vague wordings, allowing its misuse against newsmen and social media users.