The government yesterday also ordered police to submit charge sheet in the judges killing case in Jhalakathi in a week.

"Some legal complications are delaying the trial process... we are trying to remove those so that we can go for the trials after the court vacation [December]," State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar said yesterday.

A committee is monitoring all the cases and much headway has been made in the investigations, the minister told reporters after a meeting of the committee on the August 17 blasts.

The special committee was constituted to monitor the investigations into the countrywide bombings, submission of charge sheets and government functions during the trial process.

Charge sheets of 61 of the 154 cases have so far been filed until yesterday. The Speedy Trial Tribunals will try the cases and dispose those in 60 days according to rules.

The home ministry has asked the police administration to take necessary steps to complete investigation so that the trials can be started in time.

As the state minister enquired about failure in submitting charge sheets in some cases, police officials said there are 'bottlenecks' in those.

To remove the 'bottlenecks', the committee later formed a four-member committee with officials from the home and law ministries.

The committee will hold discussion with the law secretary and other officials to work out steps to remove the blocks.

On legal complications, Additional Attorney General Abdur Razzak Khan said: "We have to follow some rules if the accused are on the run after the charge sheet is submitted.

"It includes issuing warrants, confiscating their property and publishing advertisements in newspapers."

Babar said: "...we'll try to remove the complications in next seven days [before the court vacation begins]."

On August 17, Islamist militants simultaneously exploded 434 bombs in 63 districts, except in Munshiganj, killing two people and injuring 104 others. Fifty-two more bombs did not go off.

Police accused 116 people in 154 cases and arrested 414 people so far, said home ministry sources.

JHALAKATHI PROBE
Although the government had earlier asked the police to submit charge sheet of the senior assistant judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pandey assassination case, police failed to make it.

Outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) assassinated the judges on November 14 in a suicide bomb attack.

The state minister yesterday expressed his dissatisfaction over the failure and enquired about the reason.

"Mamun, the suicide bomber who was arrested from the spot with severe injuries, is yet to recover. He is recovering and we need to talk with him again before submitting the charge sheet," a meeting source quoted Inspector General of Police Abdul Quayum as telling the meeting.

The minister strongly instructed the police to submit the charge sheet in a week without further delay.

Self-confessed JMB suicide bomber Mamun hurled a powerful bomb at a microbus carrying the two judges, 88 days after the countrywide serial bombings.

Law Secretary Alauddin Sardar, Home Secretary Safar Raj Hossain and other senior officials were present at the meeting.