The Village Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was placed in the parliament on Tuesday, empowering the village courts to impose fines up to Tk3 lakh.
Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam placed the bill, and it was sent to the respective scrutiny committee for further examination.
The committee was asked to submit its report within two months.
A village court comprises five members, including the union parishad chairman.
In some cases, the court cannot function if any member remains absent.
According to the draft law, if a vote occurs on a disputed matter in the absence of a member and an equal number of votes are cast in favor of two sides, then the party gaining the chairman's vote will be declared victorious.
Additionally, in some instances of the previous law, the term "minor" is being replaced with "child".
In 2013, by amending the Village Court Act, the government strengthened the court, allowing it to impose fines up to Tk75,000.
According to the objective of the bill, the Village Courts Ordinance, 1976, was enacted to ensure speedy and easy settlement of minor disputes among local people in rural areas.
Later, the Village Courts Act, 2006, was enacted by repealing the Ordinance, and some sections of the Act were amended in 2013.
The government is working to promote the concept and process of alternative dispute resolution in minor disputes to reduce the pressure on the institutional justice system and to ensure easy and speedy access to justice for the poor and disadvantaged.
Village Court is a semi-formal dispute resolution mechanism founded on the concept of alternative dispute resolution.
