PERFORMANCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VILLAGE COURT IN BANGLADESH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN TWO UNIONS BETWEEN PROJECT AND NON-PROJECT AREA

Abstract

The study examined the performance and effectiveness of village court in Bangladesh. It is emphasized on the grass-root level rural administration that is presently known as Union Parishad (UP). UP constitutes the most important tier of the rural local government system. A UP consists of 10-20 villages. There are no administrative units at the village level in Bangladesh. The Gram Adalat (Village Court) Ordinance 1976 was promulgated in Bangladesh to serve the rural poor from the sufferings and hazards of the formal courts. The formal courts are generally expensive and follow lengthy procedures. Under the new Village Court Act 2006, initially court system was partially effective and the grassroots people had an easy access to justice and the verdict of the court could resolve the local conflicts and disputes. To take grassroots democracy to the doorsteps of the people, UNDP took the initiative village project known as “Activating Village Court Projects’ in 2009. Under the project, only 350 village courts are being implemented, but more than 4550 Union Parisads is out of the project. The present study analyzed the performances of village court in project and non-project areas.