DHAKA, Nov 29: The Bangladesh parliament on Monday night passed a bill making provisions for proportionate distribution of reserved seats for women among different parties and rules on elections to the reserved seats.

The bill was passed amid the walkout of the opposition Awami League lawmakers, who went out after their deliberations against the bill in the session. In absence of the Awami League lawmakers, the parliament passed the Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, Transfer of Property (Amendment) Bill and the Limitation (Amendment) Bill, making legal provisions corresponding to the Registration (Amendment) Bill that was passed on Sunday.

The Registration (Amendment) Bill proposed amendments to the Registration Act 1908, making mandatory provisions for registration of any heba (gifts under Muslim law) property for the protection of the rights of the beneficiaries.

All the four bills will come into effect on July 1, 2005. As Law Minister Moudud Ahmed proposed for taking the Jatiya Sangsad (Reserved Women Seats) Election Bill for final consideration, a number of opposition lawmakers moved separate motions against the bill, proposing that the bill should go for public opinion.

They claimed that the bill was unconstitutional and undemocratic, as it has proposed reservation of women's seats without any direct elections. The government has shifted from its electoral pledge by proposing indirect election to the reserved seats, they said.

They also termed the bill clumsiest, as it contains complex mathematical calculations. They said a writ petition had already been filed and the High Court had issued a rule nisi on the government asking it to explain the constitutionality of the provision for reservation of 45 seats for women in the parliament.

As the law minister stood up for his reply to the motions, Awami League lawmakers stood up and started shouting.

MOUDUD SAID: "You have made deliberations for 45 minutes and now it is my turn to reply... Would you not allow me to reply?" The Awami League lawmakers shouted in chorus "no" and they walked out of the parliament. At a press briefing later, they said they had walked out, as they were not ready to be part of the process of passing a 'black' law.