How the court process in Bangladesh is arranged

Every one of our case journeys follows the same structure. At the top is the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, which Article 94 of the Constitution divides into two parts: the Appellate Division and the High Court Division. Below it sit the subordinate courts and tribunals in each district, and below them the places where most matters actually begin: a police station, a government office, a bank, a Union Parishad or a lawyer's chamber.

Civil courts

Civil suits such as money suits, partition, declaration of title, injunctions and recovery of possession start in the courts set up under the Civil Courts Act 1887. These are the Assistant Judge, the Senior Assistant Judge and the Joint District Judge. Which of them hears a suit depends on its subject and its value. Appeals go to the District Judge or an Additional District Judge, and in higher-value cases straight to the High Court Division. Family Courts, presided over by Assistant Judges, hear divorce-related claims, dower, maintenance and custody, and appeals from them go to the District Judge.

Criminal courts

A criminal case usually starts at a police station with a first information report, or before a Magistrate with a petition of complaint. Magistrates take cognizance, deal with bail and remand, and try less serious offences. Serious offences are sent to the Court of Session. In Dhaka and other metropolitan areas these are the Metropolitan Magistrates and the Metropolitan Sessions Judge. Appeals and revisions go to the Sessions Judge or the High Court Division, depending on the court and the sentence.

Special courts and tribunals

Many case types skip the ordinary courts altogether and go to a specialised forum, for example:

• the Artha Rin Adalat for bank loan recovery;
• the Nari o Shishu Nirjatan Daman Tribunal for offences against women and children;
• the Cyber Tribunal;
• Special Judges for corruption and money laundering;
• Labour Courts;
• the Land Survey Tribunal;
• the Administrative Tribunal for government servants.

Most of these have their own appellate tribunal, with a final route to the Supreme Court. Tax, VAT and customs disputes run through departmental appeals and an appellate tribunal before a question of law reaches the High Court Division.

The Supreme Court at the top

The High Court Division hears appeals, revisions and references from the courts below. It also has its own original jurisdiction under Article 102 of the Constitution to issue writs against public authorities. The Appellate Division hears appeals from the High Court Division under Article 103. In most cases a party must first obtain leave to appeal. Under Article 105 the Appellate Division can review its own judgments, and under Article 111 its decisions bind every court below.

Why the route matters

Choosing the wrong forum, missing a limitation period or filing an appeal where only a revision lies can end a case before it starts. That is why each journey shows the exact route, with the section, order or rule behind every step and an indicative timeline drawn from Dhaka practice. Use them to understand where a matter stands and what comes next. Then speak to a lawyer about the facts of your own case.

The law behind every journey

Every case journey is built from the primary texts. The main sources are:

• the Constitution of Bangladesh, Articles 94 to 116;
• the Civil Courts Act 1887;
• the Code of Civil Procedure 1908;
• the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898;
• the special statutes for each tribunal;
• judgments of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

Each case journey lists its own sources at the end of the page.