Present Conditions and Ensuring Rule of Laws at Local Level: A Case Study on Village Court

Abstract

This study examines, with particular attention to the Union Parishad in Bangladesh, what constitutes a critical role played by village courts when it comes to ensuring basic rule of law at grassroots level. Since there are no administrative units at village level, the rural local governance structure is driven by UPMs. The Village Court system established under the Gram Adalat (Village Court) Ordinance of 1976 and formalized through the Village Court Act of 2006, serves as a statutory formal court designed to alleviate the hardships faced by the rural poor within the formal judicial system. In order to increase justice delivery in rural areas and improve the resolution of disputes through Salish means, this research looks at how the village court has evolved since its inception in the late 1970s. The Bangladesh’s government has initiated a project called "Activating village courts" with support from the UNDP and the EU in order to reinforce its rural court system. The study, which was carried out in three unions at the Netrokona District, used a combination of methods on as approach to use both quantitative and Qualitative data obtained by Structured and Unstructured Surveys. The findings of the study are followed up by a set of recommendations and initiatives aiming to strengthen the ability of village courts to ensure rule of law at local level. The findings of this research show that village courts are playing a critical role in the Redemption of justice services effectively in rural Bangladesh, which emphasised their importance to broader efforts to encourage access to justice and democratic rights at grass roots level.