Procedures
1908 Civil Procedure Code and long delays
Civil suits proceed under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 through Assistant Judge, Joint District Judge and District Judge courts, with appeal to the High Court Division. Backlogs measured in years are the defining practical feature.
Key rules
- Deadline — Contract claims generally three years from breach under the Limitation Act
- Deadline — Appeal to the High Court Division within 90 days
- Deadline — Written statement within 30 days of summons, extendable
Governing law
- Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
- Limitation Act, 1908
- Arbitration Act, 2001
- Artha Rin Adalat Ain, 2003
In practice
Money-lending disputes go to dedicated Artha Rin courts, which are faster than general civil courts. Arbitration under the 2001 Act broadly follows the Model Law and Bangladesh is a New York Convention party, so a foreign award is enforceable subject to the Act's grounds. Court-annexed mediation is available and increasingly used because trial timelines are so long.