How to File a Criminal Case in Bangladesh: FIR, Complaint Petition and Case Registration (2026)

How to file a criminal case in Bangladesh: the 2026 position

Anyone asking how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh has two doors to choose from. The first is the police station, where information about a cognizable offence must be written down, read back and signed as a First Information Report under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898.[2] The second is the court of a magistrate, where a written complaint petition (the nalishi petition) starts a complaint case under sections 190 and 200 without waiting for the police at all.[3] Women and children repression cases, cyber offences and cheque cases each add their own rules.

This guide is written for the victim, the family and the company that wants to set a prosecution moving. It covers the choice of route, drafting and lodging an FIR, the documents to bring, the complaint petition before a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate or Chief Judicial Magistrate, police refusal, the special tribunals, the changes made by the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act 2026, and what happens, and how long it takes, after the case number is issued. Arrest, remand, bail and false cases are covered in companion TRW guides linked below.

Summary: A cognizable offence is reported at the police station, where the officer in charge must record it as an FIR under section 154 and give it a case number. Any offence can instead be brought by a complaint petition to a magistrate, who examines the complainant on oath under section 200 and then dismisses the complaint, orders an inquiry or police investigation, or issues process against the accused. Special statutes route some cases to tribunals. Since the 2026 Act, police must normally finish an investigation within sixty working days.

Key point: The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act 2026, Act No. 11 of 2026, did not change sections 154 or 200, so the way a case is started is the same. What changed is what happens next: new section 173B sets a sixty-working-day target for police investigations, new section 173A lets senior officers call for an interim report, and section 250 now obliges a magistrate to award up to Tk 50,000 against a false and frivolous or vexatious complainant.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

Police case or complaint case: how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi criminal procedure recognises two kinds of case. A police case begins when information reaches the police and is recorded under section 154 (for cognizable offences) or section 155 (for non-cognizable offences).[2] A complaint case begins when a person presents a complaint of facts constituting an offence to a magistrate, who may take cognizance under section 190(1)(a).[3] Both lead to the same criminal courts and the same trial, but they give the victim very different levels of control.

Cognizable or non-cognizable

The first question is whether the offence is cognizable, meaning one for which the police may arrest without a warrant. The Second Schedule to the Code classifies every Penal Code offence.[1] For a cognizable offence the officer in charge may investigate at once without a magistrate's order under section 156(1).[2] For a non-cognizable offence the police only record the substance of the information and refer the informant to a magistrate; they cannot investigate without a magistrate's order under section 155(2).[2] Our guide to GD vs FIR in Bangladesh explains that classification, and the General Diary, in detail. This guide assumes you already know a case is needed.

When the police route is better

An FIR is usually faster and cheaper for violent offences, theft, robbery, abduction and any case where evidence must be secured quickly. The police can visit the scene, seize property, record statements under section 161 and arrest suspects.[2] The informant pays no filing fee and does not have to fund the investigation. The price is control: once recorded, the case belongs to the State, and the informant cannot direct the investigation or decide who is charged.

When a complaint petition is better

A petition to the magistrate suits cases the police are slow or reluctant to take: commercial fraud, criminal breach of trust, cheating between business partners, defamation, offences under section 198 that only the aggrieved person can bring, and cases against influential people.[3] It is also the only route for some offences. Section 195 bars a court from taking cognizance of contempt of lawful authority and offences against public justice without a complaint from the public servant or court concerned, and a cheque dishonour case under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 can only begin on a written complaint.[3] [11]

Where a special law decides the forum

Before choosing between police and court, check whether a special statute applies. The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 and the Cyber Security Act 2026 send their offences to tribunals that, as a rule, act only on a police report, and both provide a sworn-complaint route when the police refuse.[8] [10] Corruption by public servants is investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission rather than the local police; our guide to corruption laws in Bangladesh covers that regime. For the wider statutory map, see criminal law in Bangladesh.

How to file a criminal case in Bangladesh at the police station: the FIR

Section 154 is short and mandatory. Every information relating to the commission of a cognizable offence, if given orally to an officer in charge of a police station, must be reduced to writing by him or under his direction, read over to the informant and signed by the person giving it; every such information, whether given in writing or reduced to writing, must be signed, and its substance entered in a book kept by the officer in the form prescribed by the Government.[2] The officer's job at this stage is to record, not to decide whether the allegation is true.

Who can be the informant

Anyone with knowledge of a cognizable offence may give information to the police, orally or in writing; it need not be the victim.[7] Choose the informant carefully: he or she will usually be the first prosecution witness and will be cross-examined on every word of the FIR.

Which police station

Go to the station for the place where the offence occurred if you can, because that station has territorial responsibility for the investigation. But the High Court Division held in Naripokkho v Bangladesh (Writ Petition No. 5541 of 2015, judgment of 18 February 2016) that section 154 is mandatory and that an officer in charge cannot refuse to record information about a cognizable offence because it occurred outside his station's area.[6] In women and children repression cases, section 25A of the 2000 Act now states the same rule expressly: the officer must record the complaint and forward it with the case diary to the proper station.[8] [9]

Drafting the ejahar

Most informants bring a typed written complaint, known locally as the ejahar, rather than dictate an oral account. The police transfer its substance onto the standard form used nationwide, B.P. Form No. 27, and both informant and officer sign it.[7] A well-drafted ejahar should state:

• the informant's name, parents' names, address, National Identity Card number and relationship to the victim;
• the date, time and exact place of occurrence, with landmarks;
• the name, address and description of each accused, and the specific act each one did;
• a chronological account of what happened, including any weapon, injury or property taken;
• the names and addresses of eyewitnesses;
• any prior dispute between the parties, stated neutrally; and
• the reason for any delay in reporting.

Be specific and conservative. Courts treat the FIR as the informant's earliest account, so omissions and exaggerations become lines of cross-examination at trial. Naming every member of a rival family in the hope that someone will be charged invites a discharge, a section 250 compensation order and, in serious cases, prosecution for a false charge.[4]

Case number and copy of the FIR

Once recorded, the FIR is entered in the station register and given a registration number: the case number.[7] Write the case number down before you leave and ask for a copy. Police sometimes give an informal copy; otherwise a certified copy can be obtained on application to the court that receives the FIR, on payment of the prescribed fee.[7] Section 157 requires the officer to send a report of the case forthwith to the magistrate empowered to take cognizance, so the court file opens almost at once.[2]

There is still no online FIR

In February 2025 the then Chief Adviser directed the police to introduce nationwide online case filing and a dedicated number for lodging FIRs from anywhere.[12] The online platform that now operates is a General Diary service. Where an online complaint discloses a cognizable offence requiring a criminal case, the applicant must still appear at the police station with a printed copy of the complaint.[13] Plan to attend in person, with the informant, to sign.

Documents and evidence to bring

Whatever route you take to file a criminal case in Bangladesh, the papers matter. Neither the Code nor B.P. Form No. 27 lists mandatory attachments; the identity details go on the FIR itself.[7] But a case that arrives with its evidence organised is recorded faster, investigated better and harder to dismiss. Bring originals and at least two sets of copies of:

• the National Identity Card, passport or birth certificate of the informant and, where relevant, the victim;
• the signed written complaint, with the accused's details on a separate sheet if there are several;
• medical documents: injury certificates, hospital admission papers, treatment records and photographs of injuries;
• documents proving ownership or possession of property taken or damaged, such as purchase invoices, registration papers or stock records;
• contracts, cheques, bank statements, payment receipts and correspondence in fraud, breach of trust and cheque cases;
• screenshots, URLs, message exports and device details in cyber cases, preserved without editing;
• any earlier General Diary entry, legal notice or police complaint about the same dispute; and
• for a company, a board resolution or letter authorising the officer who will act as informant or complainant.

Do not delay a serious case to collect paperwork. A victim of violence should report first and attend hospital; in rape and women and children repression cases the officer in charge must arrange the victim's medical examination and treatment.[8] The Naripokkho guidelines also require a female officer on duty to support victims, confidentiality of the victim's identity, and prompt escort for medical examination and forensic sampling.[6]

How to file a criminal case in Bangladesh before a magistrate

The complaint petition is the second route, and for many commercial clients it is the first choice. The Code defines a complaint as an allegation made orally or in writing to a magistrate with a view to action under the Code; a police report is not a complaint.[1]

Which court receives it

Cognizance on a complaint may be taken by a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, a Metropolitan Magistrate, a Chief Judicial Magistrate, a magistrate of the first class, or a magistrate specially empowered.[3] In Dhaka, Chattogram and the other metropolitan areas, petitions are presented in the CMM court; in the districts, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court, where the cognizance (amoli) court for the relevant police station receives it. Section 192 lets the CMM or CJM transfer a case to a subordinate magistrate after taking cognizance.[3] A complaint presented to a magistrate without competence is returned for presentation to the proper court under section 201.[3]

Drafting the petition

An advocate drafts the petition as a numbered statement of facts naming each accused, the facts constituting each offence, the sections alleged, the witnesses and the relief sought: process, a police investigation or a judicial inquiry. The complainant signs it and attends on filing day for examination on oath.

Examination on oath under section 200

A magistrate taking cognizance on a complaint must at once examine the complainant on oath, and any witnesses present the magistrate considers necessary. The substance is reduced to writing and signed by the complainant or witness and by the magistrate.[3] No such examination is needed where a court, or a public servant acting in the discharge of official duties, makes the complaint in writing.[3] The sworn statement is the foundation of the case. It should match the petition exactly.

The magistrate's options

After the examination the magistrate has four main choices:

• Issue process under section 204 if there is sufficient ground, summoning the accused or issuing a warrant. No process issues until a list of prosecution witnesses is filed, and any process fees payable must be paid first.[3]
• Postpone process under section 202 and inquire personally, or direct an inquiry or investigation by a subordinate magistrate, a police officer or another person, recording reasons.[3]
• Order a police investigation under section 156(3), which a magistrate empowered under section 190 may do in a cognizable case.[2] In practice the order often directs the officer in charge to record the petition as an FIR, after which the case proceeds as a police case.
• Dismiss under section 203 if, on the sworn statement and any inquiry result, there is no sufficient ground for proceeding, with brief reasons.[3]

Where the offence appears triable exclusively by a Court of Session, the magistrate may still postpone process and order an inquiry, but the complainant must then produce all witnesses for examination on oath.[3] Ask expressly for the relief you want: a section 156(3) direction where police resources are needed, process under section 204 where documents already prove the offence.

The table below compares the two routes. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

When the police refuse to record the case

Refusal to record an FIR for a cognizable offence is unlawful, but it happens. Stations offer a General Diary instead, send the informant to another station, or ask for a "settlement" first. The Naripokkho judgment describes the officer in charge's duty under section 154 as one he cannot avoid once the information discloses a cognizable offence.[6] Our GD vs FIR guide sets out the steps at the station; in short:

• hand over a signed written complaint and ask for it to be received and stamped;
• if the officer declines, ask for the refusal or the station's decision in writing, and note the officer's name and time;
• escalate in writing to the circle officer, the superintendent of police or the police commissioner's office, and to the IGP's complaint cell, which accepts complaints about police misconduct;[7] and
• without waiting for a reply, petition the magistrate, attaching the refused complaint and the escalation letters.

The last step is the one that works. A magistrate does not need the police's agreement to take cognizance or to order an investigation.[3] Where an officer decides under section 157 not to investigate a recorded case because there is no sufficient ground, he must state his reasons and notify the informant, and a magistrate can then direct an investigation.[2] [7] A writ petition to the High Court Division remains available for systematic refusal, but it is slower and more expensive; see our writ petition guide.

Special tribunals and special filing rules

Three regimes change the answer to how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh, and getting them wrong can sink a case before it starts.

Nari-o-Shishu cases: the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000

Offences such as rape, dowry violence, trafficking and abduction of women and children are tried by the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, at least one of which sits at every district headquarters, presided over by a District and Sessions Judge or Additional District and Sessions Judge.[8] The Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Act 2026, Act No. 85 of 2026 dated 10 April 2026, inserted sections 25A and 26A and amended sections 18, 20 and 27, among others.[9] The rules for filing are now:

• At the police station: under section 25A, when a complainant with primary evidence attends, the officer in charge must record the complaint immediately, arrange the victim's medical examination and treatment where needed, and may not turn the complainant away because the incident happened in another station's area.[8]
• At the tribunal: under section 27, a tribunal takes cognizance on a written report of a police officer not below the rank of Sub-Inspector or a person empowered by the Government. If the police or authorised person refuse to take the complaint, the complainant may file a sworn complaint directly with the tribunal.[8]
• Tribunal inquiry: the tribunal examines the complainant and, if satisfied, directs a magistrate or another person to inquire and report within seven working days; otherwise it dismisses the complaint. It may also direct the officer in charge to record the complaint as an FIR.[8]
• Venue: a report or complaint can be filed in the tribunal where the offence was wholly or partly committed or where an offender is found.[8]

Section 26A allows the Government to set up separate Child Violence Repression Tribunals for child rape cases in each district and metropolitan area; until they are formed, the ordinary tribunals hear those cases.[8]

Cyber offences: the Cyber Security Act 2026

The Cyber Security Act 2026, Act No. 81 of 2026 dated 10 April 2026, sends its offences exclusively to the Cyber Tribunal constituted under section 68 of the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006, with appeal to the Cyber Appellate Tribunal.[10]

Section 40 controls who may file: no one other than the aggrieved person, a person authorised by that person in writing, or a member of a law-enforcement agency may bring a case under the Act.[10] If the aggrieved person asked the police station to take the complaint and failed, he or she may file a written complaint with the tribunal supported by an affidavit; the tribunal examines the complainant and either directs a police officer to investigate or rejects the complaint outright.[10] The tribunal cannot take cognizance without a written report of a police officer or joint investigation team.[10]

For cyber forgery under section 21, sexual harassment, blackmail and intimate-image offences under section 25, and religious or ethnic hate content under section 26, section 31 adds a filter: the case record and any arrested person must be placed before the cognizance magistrate within 24 hours of filing, and the magistrate must within a further 24 hours either direct investigation or dismiss the complaint with reasons and order release.[10] Our guide to cyber law in Bangladesh covers the offences themselves.

Cheque dishonour: complaint only, within one month

A cheque case is the clearest example of a complaint-only offence. Section 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 allows cognizance of a section 138 offence only on a written complaint by the payee or holder in due course, made within one month of the date the cause of action arises under clause (c) of the proviso to section 138, that is, the drawer's failure to pay within thirty days of the demand notice.[11] Where the cheque exceeds Tk 5 lakh, the case is tried by a Joint Sessions Judge or Metropolitan Joint Sessions Judge rather than a magistrate.[11] The notice and timing rules are explained in our guide to the cheque dishonour legal notice.

What the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act 2026 changed

The interim government amended the Code by ordinance in 2025, and the elected Parliament converted those changes into the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act 2026, Act No. 11 of 2026, dated 10 April 2026.[5] The consolidated Code on the official Laws of Bangladesh site shows the key amendments as having effect from mid-2025.[2] Anyone working out how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh should know what the Act did and did not touch.

What did not change

The Act does not amend sections 154 to 157, 190 or 200 to 204.[5] The FIR, the complaint petition, the section 200 examination and the magistrate's options described above are exactly as they were. There is still no statutory right to an online FIR.

Investigation deadlines: section 173B

New section 173B requires an investigation to be completed within sixty working days of receipt of the information. Where there is reasonable cause, the investigating officer may apply to the magistrate for more time, and the magistrate may extend it for such period as is reasonable.

If the deadline passes, the officer must explain the delay in writing, and the magistrate may transfer the investigation or treat the delay as inefficiency or misconduct to be recorded in the officer's annual confidential report. After trial, the court may record a finding of negligence or of intent to shield an accused and direct action against the officer.[2] For complainants, this is the most useful change in years: it gives a date against which delay can be challenged.

Interim reports: section 173A

New section 173A lets a Police Commissioner, District Superintendent of Police or officer of equivalent rank call for an interim report before an investigation is finished. If it shows insufficient evidence against a particular accused, the magistrate or tribunal may discharge that person while the investigation continues against the others; the discharged person can be named again in the final report if substantive evidence later emerges.[2] Informants who name many people should expect weakly supported names to be dropped early.

Compensation for false complaints: section 250

Section 250 now says that where a magistrate discharges or acquits and finds the accusation false and either frivolous or vexatious, the magistrate shall, after hearing the complainant or informant, order compensation of up to Tk 50,000 (Tk 25,000 for a third-class magistrate), with up to thirty days' simple imprisonment in default. The old ceiling was Tk 1,000.[4] Our guide to false accusation in Bangladesh covers the accused's side of that remedy.

Arrest, remand and compromise

The Act also inserted arrest safeguards in sections 46A to 46E, narrowed section 54, amended section 167 on remand and added section 167A on shown arrest, and amended section 345 on compounding.[5] These matter once an accused is arrested; they are explained in our guide to police remand in Bangladesh, and compromise of property offences is covered in our theft law guide.

What happens after filing: from case number to trial

Recording the case is the start. Knowing the next stages lets a complainant push the case forward.

Investigation

The officer in charge or a subordinate officer investigates. The investigating officer visits the scene, examines witnesses orally and may reduce their statements to writing under section 161, and keeps a daily case diary under section 172.[2] A witness or victim may be taken before a Metropolitan Magistrate or first-class magistrate to have a statement recorded under section 164; a confession by an accused is recorded the same way.[2] Give the investigating officer a witness list and copies of all documents.

Arrest and bail

If the accused is arrested, he must be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, and the police may seek remand.[1] The complainant's advocate can attend bail hearings to put the victim's side and oppose release where there is a real risk to witnesses. Remand and bail are covered in our police remand guide and our anticipatory bail guide.

The police report: charge sheet or final report

Under section 173 the investigating officer must finish without unnecessary delay and send a report to the magistrate, and must communicate the action taken to the informant.[2] If the evidence is sufficient, the report is a charge sheet sending the accused for trial; if not, it is a final report recommending discharge. Section 173(3B) allows further investigation and supplementary reports if new evidence emerges.[2]

Challenging a final report: the naraji petition

The magistrate is not bound to accept a final report. A dissatisfied informant may file a no-confidence (naraji) petition, and the magistrate may order further or fresh investigation, change the investigating officer, treat the petition as a complaint and register a complaint case, or hold a judicial inquiry; if the petition is dismissed, the aggrieved party may seek revision before the Sessions Judge or the High Court Division.[14] File the naraji promptly and support it with the specific evidence the investigation ignored.

Cognizance, charge and trial

On a charge sheet the magistrate takes cognizance under section 190(1)(b) and either tries the case or, for offences triable by a Court of Session, sends it to the Sessions Judge.[3] Charge is framed, the prosecution calls its witnesses, and the informant gives evidence first. In a police case the Public Prosecutor conducts the prosecution; the informant may engage a private advocate to assist. In a complaint case the complainant's advocate carries the case.

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Costs and timelines

Budgeting is part of deciding how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh, and the two routes cost very different amounts.

Costs

• FIR: the Code prescribes no fee for recording information under section 154.[2] Demands for payment at a station are unlawful and should be refused and reported; reports of bribes demanded before an FIR is completed are a documented problem.[7]
• Certified copies: the FIR, police report and orders are obtained from the court on application and payment of the prescribed fee.[7]
• Complaint petition: the petition carries a modest court-fee stamp, and process fees must be paid before summons or warrant issues, failing which the complaint may be dismissed.[3]
• Advocates' fees: the main cost in both routes, varying with the court, the complexity of the evidence and the number of hearings. Complaint cases and naraji petitions need more lawyer time than police cases.
• Legal aid: a complainant who cannot afford a lawyer may be eligible for government legal aid; see our legal aid guide.

Timelines

The Code does not set a general deadline for lodging an FIR or complaint, but delay is always used against the prosecution, so report as soon as you safely can.[1] The statutory clocks after filing are:

• Ordinary police investigation: sixty working days from receipt of the information, extendable by the magistrate.[2]
• Women and children repression cases: fifteen working days where the accused was arrested at the scene, otherwise thirty working days, with a possible fifteen-working-day extension and further time where DNA testing is needed; the tribunal must conclude trial within 180 working days of receiving the case, and a rape trial within 90 working days of charge.[8]
• Cyber cases: ninety days from the investigating officer's appointment, plus fifteen days with the controlling officer's approval and a further thirty days with the tribunal's permission; disposal within 180 working days of charge, extendable by up to 90 working days.[10]
• Cheque cases: complaint within one month of the cause of action.[11]

These are legal targets, not guarantees, and trials in busy metropolitan courts still run for years. Their value is as a lever: an application citing section 173B, or the tribunal's own Act, puts delay on the record.

Mistakes to avoid

Most failed cases fail for avoidable reasons. These are the errors we see most often from people working out how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh without advice.

• Accepting a GD for a cognizable offence. A GD records information; it does not start a police case. Insist on an FIR or go to the magistrate.
• Over-naming accused. Section 173A interim reports and section 250 compensation now punish inflated FIRs.[2] [4]
• A petition that does not match the sworn statement. The section 200 examination is recorded and signed; inconsistencies give the defence an early discharge argument.[3]
• Using the wrong forum. A cyber case filed by someone other than the aggrieved person or an authorised representative, or a cheque complaint filed out of time, can fail on that ground alone.[10] [11]
• Turning a civil dispute into a criminal case. Pure contract and money disputes dressed up as cheating are vulnerable to quashment by the High Court Division under section 561A; see our section 561A quashment practice. Consider a civil remedy alongside or instead.
• Losing track of the case. Record the case number, the investigating officer's details and every date, and file a naraji in time against a final report.
• Paying at the station. Recording an FIR is free. Refuse, document and report any demand.

What to watch in 2026

Three developments will shape how complainants use the system for the rest of 2026. First, enforcement of section 173B: whether magistrates actually use their power to transfer investigations and record misconduct will decide whether the sixty-working-day rule changes outcomes.[2] Second, an online FIR channel: it was directed in February 2025 but, as of autumn 2026, the online platform remains a GD service and criminal cases still require attendance at the station.[12] [13] Third, the special tribunals: the Child Violence Repression Tribunals under section 26A and the Cyber Tribunals' handling of the new 24-hour filter under section 31 of the Cyber Security Act 2026.[8] [10]

The basic answer to how to file a criminal case in Bangladesh will not change: go to the police station for a cognizable offence and insist on an FIR, go to the magistrate when the police will not act or the offence calls for a complaint, and check first whether a special statute sends the case to a tribunal.

Frequently asked questions

How to file a criminal case in Bangladesh if I am the victim?

For a cognizable offence, go to the police station with a signed written complaint and ask the officer in charge to record it as an FIR under section 154. For any offence, or if the police refuse, an advocate can file a complaint petition before the magistrate under section 200.[2] [3]

Is there a fee for filing an FIR?

No. The Code prescribes no fee for recording an FIR. Certified copies from the court and complaint petitions carry prescribed fees.[2] [7]

Can the police refuse because the offence happened in another area?

No. The High Court Division held in Naripokkho v Bangladesh that an officer in charge must record information about a cognizable offence irrespective of where it occurred, and section 25A of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 says the same for cases under that Act.[6] [8]

What is a complaint (nalishi) petition?

A written complaint of facts constituting an offence presented to a magistrate, who may take cognizance under section 190(1)(a), examines the complainant on oath under section 200 and then issues process, orders an inquiry or investigation, or dismisses it.[3]

What does section 156(3) do?

It lets a magistrate empowered under section 190 order the police to investigate a cognizable case, which is the usual result when a complaint petition needs police resources.[2]

Can I file an FIR online?

Not yet. The online platform handles General Diaries; if a complaint requires a criminal case, the applicant must attend the police station with a printed copy.[13]

How long does a police investigation take?

Section 173B, added by the 2026 Act, requires completion within sixty working days of receiving the information, extendable by the magistrate. Women and children repression and cyber cases have their own, shorter or different, limits.[2] [8] [10]

What if the police submit a final report?

The informant can file a naraji petition asking the magistrate to reject it and order further investigation, a judicial inquiry or a complaint case.[14]

Who can file a case under the Cyber Security Act 2026?

Only the aggrieved person, someone authorised by that person in writing, or a member of a law-enforcement agency. If the police station will not take the complaint, the aggrieved person may complain to the Cyber Tribunal with an affidavit.[10]

Can a complainant be penalised if the case fails?

Only if the accusation is found false and frivolous or vexatious. A magistrate who discharges or acquits on that finding must order compensation of up to Tk 50,000 under section 250 after hearing the complainant.[4]