Supreme Court Practice in Bangladesh 2026: Slips, Mentioning, Cause Lists and Appearances

Supreme court practice Bangladesh: how the rules fit together

Supreme court practice Bangladesh lawyers learn at the Bar is only partly written down. The rules of the High Court Division and the Appellate Division set out how a petition is filed, numbered, mentioned and listed. Much of what decides whether a matter is actually heard, however, lives in the slips, certificates, cause-list annotations and courtroom conventions that every Dhaka practitioner uses and few clients ever see explained. A writ that is never mentioned is never moved. A case marked "not today" five times in a row is a case losing ground.

This guide sets out that working vocabulary: the lawyer's certificate and right of audience, the certificates counsel signs, the information slip and mention slip, mentioning, "pass over" and "not today", the case brief and paper-book, and a first appearance. It is written for clients, in-house counsel and foreign parties who instruct Bangladeshi advocates and want to check what is happening to their case.

Summary: Practice before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh runs on two sets of rules, the Supreme Court (High Court Division) Rules and the Appellate Division Rules 1988, filled out by settled courtroom custom. Only properly enrolled advocates may appear; in the Appellate Division only an Advocate-on-Record may act for a party. Matters reach a bench through a numbered filing slip and a mention slip, appear in the daily cause list, and can be passed over, adjourned or dismissed for default if no one is ready.

Key point: In the High Court Division, entry in the daily cause list is itself sufficient notice of the hearing date. A party who does not track the list, file a mention slip on time or keep an affidavit within its validity window can lose a hearing, or a whole motion, without receiving any separate notice.

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Supreme court practice Bangladesh: how the rules fit together

The Supreme Court has two divisions, and each makes its own procedural rules. Article 107(1) of the Constitution allows the Court, with the President's approval and subject to any Act of Parliament, to make rules regulating the practice and procedure of each division.[1] The High Court Division works under the Supreme Court (High Court Division) Rules, published chapter by chapter on the Court's website, and the Appellate Division under the Supreme Court of Bangladesh (Appellate Division) Rules 1988, as amended.[7] [6]

Of the High Court Division chapters, the ones a litigant meets most often are Chapter III on court hours and vacations, Chapter IV on applications and affidavits, Chapter IVA on motion and mention, Chapter V on general procedure and advocates, Chapter VA on cause lists, and Chapter IX on paper-books.[7] Chapters IVA and VA were inserted by Notification No. 181-G of 22 October 2012.[3] [4]

Two divisions, two cultures of filing

The High Court Division is a high-volume court built around getting a matter before the right motion bench quickly. The Appellate Division is smaller and more formal: most matters begin as a petition for leave, only an Advocate-on-Record may act for a party, and written concise statements carry more weight. Our guides to the High Court Division's jurisdiction and benches and to the civil petition for leave to appeal cover the jurisdictional side; this article stays with the mechanics of supreme court practice Bangladesh litigants actually encounter.

Where custom fills the gaps

Several terms clients hear every day, among them "information slip", "pass over", "not today" and "maiden appearance", do not appear as defined terms in either set of rules. They are practice usage, but a bench's direction to pass a matter over or keep it out of the list governs what happens next. Understanding Supreme Court practice Bangladesh-style therefore means reading the rules and the custom together.

The lawyer certificate: who may appear in the Supreme Court

Every advocate in Bangladesh is enrolled and regulated under the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order 1972 (President's Order No. 46 of 1972). One of the Bangladesh Bar Council's core functions is to admit persons as advocates on its roll and to hold examinations for admission; its Enrollment Committee includes a Chairman from the Appellate Division nominated by the Chief Justice, two High Court Division judges, the Attorney-General and one elected Bar Council member.[8] What clients loosely call a "lawyer certificate" is, in fact, a ladder of three separate permissions.

Step one: enrolment for the subordinate courts

A law graduate must complete six months' pupilage in the chamber of an advocate of at least seven years' standing, then pass the Bar Council's examination.[9] The examination has three stages, preliminary, written and viva voce; in the 2026 cycle the written paper, scheduled after the preliminary stage closed, carried 100 marks across seven subjects including the Bar Council's Canons of Professional Conduct and Etiquette.[10] Passing all three stages permits practice in the subordinate courts only.

Step two: permission to practise in the High Court Division

To appear in the High Court Division, an advocate generally needs two years' practice in a subordinate court, unless the Bar Council grants an exemption, and must pass a further written and viva voce examination conducted for that enrolment.[9] This is what clients usually mean by "a Supreme Court lawyer", but it does not by itself permit appearance in the Appellate Division.

Step three: the Appellate Division roll and the Advocate-on-Record

Order IV of the Appellate Division Rules requires an applicant for enrolment as an Advocate to have been enrolled in the High Court Division for at least five years, to be certified by the Bar Council as an enrolled High Court Division advocate, and to be certified by High Court Division judges as fit to plead before the Appellate Division. An Enrolment Committee of at least two judges considers the application.[6] Once enrolled, the Registrar issues a certificate of enrolment, and the advocate must state the enrolment number below his or her signature on every petition, appeal and application.[6]

The Advocate-on-Record is a further tier. Order IV requires, among other things, at least seven years' enrolment in the courts below the Appellate Division, including three years in the High Court Division, and an office at the seat of the Registry. No advocate other than an Advocate-on-Record may act for a party, and any other advocate may plead only when instructed by an Advocate-on-Record.[6]

Checking credentials as a client

Appellate Division filings must carry the advocate's enrolment number, and a wokalatnama filed in the High Court Division must show the advocate's full name, address and, where available, telephone number and e-mail.[4] Foreign parties should note that a lawyer qualified abroad has no right of audience in either division unless enrolled in Bangladesh; foreign counsel can advise and draft, but a Bangladeshi advocate must sign and move. Checking enrolment is the first step in Supreme Court practice Bangladesh clients can take for themselves.

The certificates an advocate signs on a filing

A second kind of lawyer certificate is the one counsel signs on the document itself. These certificates are short, but each is a professional undertaking to the Court, and a filing without the required certificate may be returned by the Section or questioned by the bench.

Certificate about grounds of appeal

Rule 7 of Chapter V of the High Court Division Rules requires a memorandum of appeal filed by an advocate to be accompanied by certified copies of the judgment and decree or order complained of, and to bear a certificate at its foot. In it the advocate certifies that he or she has gone through the impugned judgment and that, in counsel's opinion, the grounds taken are good grounds of appeal which counsel undertakes to support at the hearing.[4] The certificate is the reason a responsible advocate will not simply copy every ground a client suggests. Grounds counsel cannot support should not be pleaded.

Certificate that a lower-court record is needed

An application to call for the record of a subordinate court must identify the court and the record precisely, and Rule 21 of Chapter IV requires it to be accompanied by an advocate's certificate that the record is requisite and material to the appeal or proceeding, with court-fee stamps affixed.[3] The record then has to travel from the district, which often drives timing. Our guide to civil revision in Bangladesh explains where record requisition fits in that process.

Certificates in the Appellate Division

The Appellate Division imposes its own certificates. A review application must be signed by a Senior Advocate, who must state the points on which review is sought and add a certificate, in the form of a reasoned opinion, that a review would be justifiable consistently with the law and practice of the Court; the application must be filed within thirty days of the judgment or order.[6]

A pauper appeal needs a certificate of counsel that there are reasonable grounds of appeal, and a civil leave petition must cite the Court's relevant previous decisions.[6] For how review works in practice, see our guide to the review petition in the Supreme Court.

The information slip and the mention slip

Once a petition is filed, two pieces of paper decide whether it reaches a judge: one gives it a number, the other asks a bench to take it up.

Information slip in the Supreme Court: what it is

"Information slip" is a practice term, not a heading in the rules, used for the slip the office hands back on filing. The rules give it a clear basis. Under Chapter IVA, the Writ Section examines a writ petition and, if it is in order, records it with a number and year, sends it for swearing of the affidavit, and delivers a slip indicating the petition number to the filing advocate, the law clerk, the petitioner or an authorised agent, "so that the matter may be mentioned before an appropriate Bench".[3]

For civil and criminal motions filed directly with a Bench Officer, the officer puts a serial number, initials, date and seal on the application and informs the advocate or clerk of the serial number.[3]

The slip is the client's first hard evidence that a case exists. Ask for a copy the day the matter is filed: it gives the number and year needed for every later step, including the Supreme Court case search, and it is the reference that goes on the mention slip.

The mention slip: form and contents

Rule 8 of Chapter IVA provides that a party or applicant who wants a case included in the daily cause list to obtain an order from a bench must file a mention slip with that bench, during the mention hour, in the prescribed form.[3] The prescribed mention slip records the district, the date of filing of the slip, the case number with year, the parties, the purpose of the mention in brief, and the name and signature of the advocate holding the power or the person intending to mention.[3]

What the Bench Officer does with it

On receiving a mention slip, the Bench Officer puts a serial number on it with signature and date, sends a requisition for the file to the concerned Section before 3 p.m., and arranges for the case to appear in the cause list under the mention heading.[3] Mention slips are ordinarily destroyed after fifteen days, so the cause list and order sheet, not the slip, are the record. A wrong number, a vague purpose such as "for order", or an advocate without a power on file is the usual reason a matter fails to appear.

Mentioning a matter in the High Court Division

Mentioning is the step of bringing a matter to the notice of a bench so that it is listed or an order is made. Our case-tracking guide explains how mentioned items appear in the list; here the focus is what the rules require.

Motion day and urgent matters

Chapter IVA defines a motion as an application, other than an appeal, that needs a judicial order before it can be registered as a case. Civil and criminal motions are filed with the Bench Officer on the first working day of the week, and an urgent matter may be filed on another working day with the leave of the bench.[3] A motion once moved cannot be withdrawn and a fresh motion on the same ground is barred, which is why the first presentation must be complete.[3]

Affidavit validity: the clock behind mentioning

The affidavit sworn in support of a writ petition is valid for thirty days, within which the petition must be mentioned; for civil and criminal motions the affidavit is valid for forty-five days, and that period does not extend limitation.[3] A petition left unmentioned past the window needs a fresh affidavit. For overseas clients this is the deadline most often missed, because a re-swear may need the deponent in Dhaka again. Our writ petition guide covers the drafting side.

Applications in pending matters

For applications within a pending case, Chapter IV requires filing with the Bench Officer at least twenty-four hours before the sitting, after notice to the appearing parties or their advocates, and an application not posted in the cause list generally cannot be entertained unless the Court or the Registrar directs otherwise.[3] An application for a stay order follows the same path.

Mentioning in court

When the item is called, the advocate gives the item and case numbers, states in a sentence or two what is sought and why it cannot wait, and stops. Long argument at the mention stage is unwelcome; in Supreme Court practice Bangladesh benches expect the urgency in one sentence and the draft order ready.

Mentioning in the Appellate Division

In the Appellate Division, adjournments of hearings may be granted only on a proper application filed by an Advocate-on-Record, unless a party appears in person.[6] The Appellate Division's cause list is published separately from the High Court Division's.[14]

Pass over, not today and other cause list terms

The daily cause list is the Court's agenda for the day. Chapter VA provides that cases to be taken up on a working day are published in a list, preferably the previous day, and that entry of a matter in the daily cause list constitutes sufficient notice to the parties of the day fixed for hearing. The list is also published on the Supreme Court website.[4] [14] Once a matter is in the list, the order of items within a group cannot be changed except by a judicial order recorded in the order book, although a bench may fix a particular time against a case at its discretion.[4]

How items are ordered

Items under "As to be mentioned" come first, then delivery of judgment, then hearing matters; part-heard matters and challenges to interlocutory orders ordinarily get preference. A weekly broad list is published on the first working day of each week, and a quarterly list of ready cases four times a year.[4]

Pass over

"Pass over" is a request, or a direction, that the bench move past an item for now and return to it later in the same sitting. It is usually sought because counsel is engaged in another court. The matter keeps its place in the day's list. A pass over is a courtesy, not a right: the bench decides, and a matter passed over and not answered when called again may be dealt with in the advocate's absence.

Not today

"Not today" means the matter will not be taken up at that sitting. It is commonly noted when the bench runs out of time or the matter is not ready. Unlike a pass over, it moves the case off the day; unless the bench fixes a date, the matter has to come back into the list, often through a fresh mention. Clients should ask after every "not today" when, and how, the matter returns.

Stand over, adjournment and out of list

"Stand over" (often abbreviated "S.O.") usually means the matter is adjourned to a stated date or week. An adjournment proper is governed by the rules: in the High Court Division, a hearing is postponed if notice has not been duly served on the opposite party unless the parties are present and ready, and an opposing party may pray for time to answer an affidavit.[3] "Out of list" means the matter has left the bench's list and must be mentioned again; a case in one bench's list cannot go into another's unless the Chief Justice withdraws it or the first bench excludes it.[4]

Dismissal for default and restoration

When no one answers the call, the bench may dismiss the matter for default. Restoration is possible, but under Chapter IV an application for re-admission or restoration after dismissal for default must be supported by an affidavit explaining the absence.[3] A bench will read the history of deferrals before granting further indulgence.

Supreme court practice Bangladesh: preparing a case brief

"Case brief" means two different things in daily practice. One is the client's brief to counsel: the instructions and documents from which a petition is drafted. The other is the court brief, the paper-book or concise statement the bench reads.

The client's brief to counsel

A good brief contains certified copies of the order under challenge, the lower-court record, a dated chronology, the limitation calculation, the relief sought and each respondent's address; for a writ, add the impugned decision and proof of standing. Chapter IV requires every application to state the provision and short title of the statute under which it is made, the date of the order complained of and the value of the proceedings, and to disclose any earlier application on the same matter and the order passed on it.[3] Non-disclosure of an earlier application is one of the fastest ways to lose a bench's confidence.

Paper-books in the High Court Division

Chapter IX governs paper-books in appeals. A paper-book is required in all appeals from decrees and orders unless the Court dispenses with it, and it is printed on paper of at least 13 by 8 inches with prescribed margins, double spacing and an index with serial and page numbers. The contents are divided into Part I, documents other than exhibits, and Part II, the exhibits.[5] Part I must contain the "compulsory papers": the plaint, all written statements, issues framed, the judgment and decree appealed from, the memorandum of appeal and a chronological index, with the order sheet and commissioner's reports also included unless the Registrar dispenses with them.[5]

Where a party is allowed to prepare it, that party files at least twelve copies after the Registrar approves a cost estimate.[5] A late or incomplete paper-book is a common cause of adjournment.

Concise statements in the Appellate Division

In the Appellate Division the appellant lodges fourteen copies of a concise statement within thirty days of completion of the record, and the respondent twelve copies. The statement must be in consecutively numbered paragraphs, cite relevant previous decisions of the Appellate Division, and is not received without the required copies and an affidavit of service. Bound copies of the record and concise statements must be lodged at least seven clear days before the hearing.[6] At the hearing, no more than two advocates are ordinarily heard on each side.[6]

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Maiden appearance in the Supreme Court

A maiden appearance is an advocate's first appearance before a division after enrolment. There is no rule that defines it; it is Bar custom. For clients the point is practical: a newly enrolled advocate should appear with an experienced member of the Bar on any significant matter, and in the Appellate Division must be instructed by an Advocate-on-Record.[6]

Before the first day

The advocate must be on the relevant roll, must have a wokalatnama or power filed and accepted in the matter, and must know the bench, the item number and the exact order sought. In the High Court Division, an advocate prevented by illness or other sufficient cause from appearing may appoint another advocate to appear, but the substitute may not appear without first obtaining the special permission of the Court or the Registrar.[4]

Dress

The Appellate Division Rules prescribe a short black coat or sherwani, white shirt with turn-down collar and white bands, and a short black gown in court unless the Court directs otherwise.[6] Heat relaxations come by notification: on 7 April 2026 the Supreme Court relaxed the coat-and-gown requirement in the subordinate courts and tribunals until further notice.[11] Advocates in the Supreme Court itself should follow the notice current for the divisions.

In court

Precedence is part of the rules. In the Appellate Division the Attorney-General has precedence over all advocates, the Attorney-General and Additional Attorneys-General have the status of Senior Advocates, and other advocates take precedence according to the date of enrolment.[6] A first-time advocate should introduce themselves and their client, address the bench as "My Lord", keep within the time allowed and never interrupt. Seniors often introduce juniors on a first appearance.

Supreme court practice Bangladesh in 2026: caseload and hearings

According to Supreme Court figures reported in September 2026, the High Court Division began the year with 659,256 pending cases and the Appellate Division with 41,551. Between January and August 2026, 74,607 new matters were filed in the High Court Division and 87,596 disposed of, while the Appellate Division received 9,139 and disposed of 11,136, leaving about 685,830 cases pending across both divisions at the end of August.[13] At that scale, mentioning, listing and readiness decide which matters move.

Virtual hearings: announced, then suspended

In April 2026 the Supreme Court administration announced virtual hearings every Wednesday and Thursday, citing the need to save fuel and electricity, with a start date of 22 April. After lawyers protested that their leaders had not been consulted, the plan was suspended, first for the Appellate Division and then for the High Court Division including the chamber court, and proceedings returned to in-person hearings on all working days.[12]

Court hours and vacations

Under Chapter III the High Court Division sits on weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., with a break from 1:15 to 2:00 p.m., subject to the Chief Justice's power to vary hours; no new case may be started after hours. The Chief Justice fixes vacations and may constitute vacation benches for urgent matters.[2] A single-judge vacation bench order lasts until the vacation ends.[3]

Supreme court practice Bangladesh: mistakes to avoid

In supreme court practice Bangladesh hearings are more often lost on procedure than on merits.

Letting deadlines and listings slip

Diarise affidavit expiry the day it is sworn, read the cause list every evening, and after any "not today" or "out of list" note confirm whether a date was fixed; if not, file a fresh mention slip.[3] [4]

Incomplete disclosure

Failing to disclose an earlier application on the same matter, or the order passed on it, breaches Chapter IV and damages the bench's trust in the whole petition.[3] Where an order is breached by the other side, our guide to contempt of court in Bangladesh explains the next step.

How TRW handles Supreme Court matters

TRW runs High Court Division and Appellate Division matters with a docket discipline built around the points above: every filing slip logged on the day, every affidavit expiry diarised, every live matter checked against the next day's cause list, and every "not today" followed by a fresh mention or a fixed date. Appellate Division matters are handled through an Advocate-on-Record from the outset. Clients receive a plain-English note after each listing.

For writs and constitutional challenges, see our constitutional and writ litigation practice. For court fees on filings and appeals, see our guide to court fees in Bangladesh.

Frequently asked questions

What is an information slip in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh?

It is the practice name for the slip issued on filing that gives the petition its number. For writ petitions, the Writ Section records the petition with a number and year and delivers a slip indicating that number to the filing advocate or agent so the matter can be mentioned before a bench.[3]

What is a mention slip?

A short prescribed form filed with a bench during the mention hour asking for a case to be included in the daily cause list for an order. It states the case number, parties, purpose and the advocate intending to mention.[3]

What does "pass over" mean in a Bangladesh court?

It is a request or direction that the bench move past an item for the moment and return to it later in the same sitting. The matter keeps its place in the day's list, but if no one answers when it is called again it may be dealt with in the advocate's absence.

What does "not today" mean on the cause list?

The matter will not be heard at that sitting. Unless the bench fixes a date, it usually needs to be brought back into the list by a fresh mention.

Is the cause list enough notice of a hearing?

Yes. In the High Court Division, entry of a matter in the daily cause list constitutes sufficient notice to the parties of the hearing date.[4]

Who can appear in the Appellate Division?

Advocates and Senior Advocates enrolled in the Appellate Division. Enrolment requires at least five years in the High Court Division, and only an Advocate-on-Record may act for a party; other advocates plead on an Advocate-on-Record's instructions.[6]

How long is a writ affidavit valid?

Thirty days, within which the writ petition must be mentioned. Affidavits for civil and criminal motions are valid for forty-five days, which does not extend limitation.[3]

What certificate does an advocate sign on a memorandum of appeal?

A certificate that counsel has read the impugned judgment and that the grounds taken are, in counsel's opinion, good grounds which counsel undertakes to support at the hearing.[4]

Can a foreign lawyer appear in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh?

Not unless enrolled as an advocate in Bangladesh. Foreign counsel can advise and help prepare the case, but a Bangladeshi advocate with the right enrolment must sign and appear.[8]

What happens if a case is dismissed for default?

The party may apply for restoration. In the High Court Division the application must be supported by an affidavit explaining the default.[3]