Courts & Tribunals We Appear In
From a first bail hearing at the CMM Court to a writ in the High Court Division, a partition suit at the Judge Court or an appeal before a tribunal: this is where our advocates represent clients, and what each forum decides.
Bangladesh has a layered court system. Ordinary civil and criminal cases begin in the district courts and can move up through appeal to the Supreme Court. Alongside them sit special tribunals for family, women and children, cyber, labour, tax, land survey and other matters, and a number of offices and magistrates whose orders matter just as much. Choosing the right forum, and meeting its time limits, is often the first thing that decides a case.
Jump to: Supreme Court · Civil courts · Criminal courts · Specialist tribunals · Magistrates & other forums · How court practice works
The Supreme Court (বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রিম কোর্ট)
The Supreme Court sits in Ramna, Dhaka, in two Divisions. Most clients reach it through the High Court Division, whether to seek bail, challenge a government decision, or appeal a lower-court judgment.
High Court Division
Writ petitions against government bodies and officials, anticipatory and regular bail, criminal appeals and revisions, quashing of proceedings under section 561A, civil revisions and first appeals, company matters, admiralty suits, tax and VAT references, and contempt petitions.
Appellate Division
Civil and criminal petitions for leave to appeal, appeals from the High Court Division, review petitions and applications to stay High Court orders.
Appellate Division matters are conducted together with Advocates-on-Record and senior counsel from our advisory panel, as the Court’s rules require.
Civil Courts: the Judge Court (জজ কোর্ট / দেওয়ানি আদালত)
In every district, civil suits start in the court whose pecuniary jurisdiction matches the value of the suit, and appeals go up to the District Judge. In Dhaka these courts sit at the Dhaka Judge Court complex in Old Dhaka.
Assistant Judge & Senior Assistant Judge Courts
Title suits, partition suits, suits for declaration and injunction, possession suits, pre-emption and money suits within their pecuniary limits.
Joint District Judge Court
Higher-value suits with no upper pecuniary limit, including contract, damages and commercial suits, and execution of decrees.
District Judge & Additional District Judge Courts
Civil appeals and revisions from the lower courts, probate and letters of administration, succession certificates, and applications under the Arbitration Act.
Family Court & Family Appellate Court
Divorce (dissolution of marriage), restitution of conjugal rights, denmohor, maintenance, and custody and guardianship of children. Appeals go to the District Judge.
Artha Rin Adalat (Money Loan Court)
Suits by banks and financial institutions to recover loans, execution of Artha Rin decrees, and the borrower’s and guarantor’s defence, including mortgaged property auctions.
Criminal Courts (ফৌজদারি আদালত)
A police case (GR case) or a complaint case (CR case) starts before a Magistrate. Serious offences are sent up for trial to the Sessions Court or a special tribunal. In Dhaka, the CMM Court and the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court are the courts most families first deal with.
Chief Judicial / Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Courts
First production after arrest, bail and remand hearings, complaint petitions (nalishi mamla), cheque dishonour cases, and trials of offences within the Magistrates’ powers.
Sessions Judge & Metropolitan Sessions Judge Courts
Trials of serious offences, bail applications after refusal by the Magistrate, criminal appeals and revisions from Magistrates’ courts, and narcotics cases.
Nari-o-Shishu Nirjatan Daman Tribunal
Cases of rape, dowry-related violence, abduction, trafficking of women and children and sexual harassment, for victims and for the accused, including bail and the new time-bound trial and appeal rules.
Cyber Tribunal
Hacking, online fraud, sexual harassment and blackmail online, and related complaints, including petitions directly to the Tribunal where the police do not register a case.
Special Judge Court (Anti-Corruption)
Cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission, money-laundering prosecutions, and related bail and discharge applications.
Specialist Courts & Tribunals (বিশেষায়িত আদালত ও ট্রাইব্যুনাল)
Many disputes never go to an ordinary civil or criminal court. Employment, government service, tax, land survey and environmental matters each have their own forum, procedure and time limits.
Labour Court & Labour Appellate Tribunal
Termination and dismissal disputes, unpaid wages and service benefits, grievance cases after a section 33 notice, and trade union matters.
Administrative Tribunal & Administrative Appellate Tribunal
Disputes of government and statutory-body employees about promotion, seniority, pay, pension and disciplinary action.
Taxes Appellate Tribunal · Customs, Excise & VAT Appellate Tribunal
Appeals against income tax assessments, VAT demands, customs valuation and penalties, after the first departmental appeal, and references to the High Court Division.
Land Survey Tribunal & Land Survey Appellate Tribunal
Correction of wrong entries in the final published record of rights (khatian) after a survey.
Environment Court
Offences and compensation claims under the environmental laws, including pollution and unlawful filling of wetlands.
Magistrates, Offices & Other Forums
A large share of land, family and tenancy work is decided outside the formal courts. These forums move faster, but their orders can be decisive, so they deserve the same preparation as a court hearing.
Executive Magistrate Courts
Possession disputes likely to cause a breach of the peace, and applications to restore possession to people dispossessed of land without due process.
Land Offices & Revenue Authorities
Mutation (namjari) hearings and objections, miscellaneous cases to correct records, and appeals against revenue orders.
Arbitration Council (Union Parishad / City Corporation)
Talaq notices and the 90-day reconciliation process, and applications for permission for a further marriage.
District Legal Aid Office: pre-case mediation
Mandatory mediation, in the districts where it applies, before filing family, house rent, partition, pre-emption, parents’ maintenance and dowry cases. A settlement recorded there is binding.
Arbitral Tribunals
Domestic and international commercial arbitrations seated in Bangladesh, and court applications to set aside or enforce awards.
Court of first instance
Magistrate, Assistant Judge, Family Court, tribunal or office where the case begins.
First appeal or revision
District Judge, Sessions Judge or the appellate tribunal for that forum.
High Court Division
Appeal, revision, reference, bail, quashing or writ, depending on the case.
Appellate Division
Leave petition and appeal: the last stage.
How court practice actually works here
People are often surprised by how Bangladeshi courts run day to day. A few things worth knowing before your first date:
The next date (পরবর্তী তারিখ) and the order sheet
Most hearings end with an order and a next date. The order sheet (অর্ডারশিট) records everything the court has done. When you come to us with a running case, the most useful papers are the case number, the latest order sheet and the next date.
Vakalatnama and changing lawyers
An advocate appears for you on a signed vakalatnama (ওকালতনামা). If a case is already running with another lawyer, the usual practice is to obtain a no-objection from the previous advocate before filing a fresh vakalatnama. We handle this courteously and quickly.
Certified copies
Appeals, revisions and High Court applications need certified copies (সার্টিফাইড কপি) of the judgment, order or case record. Apply for them immediately: the time taken to obtain them is relevant to limitation, but delay in applying is not excused.
Attendance (hazira)
An accused person on bail must generally attend each date unless the court allows representation through the advocate. Missing a date can lead to bail being cancelled and a warrant. In civil suits and most family cases, parties usually attend only when their evidence or presence is needed.
Court days and cause lists
Courts generally sit Sunday to Thursday, with vacations fixed in each court’s annual calendar. The Supreme Court publishes its daily cause list online; district court dates are tracked through the court and the advocate’s clerk.
Outside Dhaka
We take cases in Dhaka and in district courts across Bangladesh. For regular district dates we work alongside trusted local advocates of the district Bar, so that you are represented on every date without paying for travel on routine adjournments, while the case strategy and key hearings stay with our chamber.
Common questions
Which courts and tribunals does BD Advocacy appear in?
Our advocates appear in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, the civil and criminal courts in Dhaka and the districts, Family Courts, the Nari-o-Shishu and Cyber Tribunals, Artha Rin Adalat, the Labour, Administrative, Tax and VAT Appellate and Land Survey Tribunals, Environment Courts, Executive Magistrate courts and Legal Aid mediation. Appellate Division matters are conducted with Advocates-on-Record and senior counsel.
Do you take cases outside Dhaka?
Yes. We take cases in district courts across Bangladesh, working with trusted local advocates for routine dates while our chamber leads strategy and important hearings.
What is the difference between the Judge Court and the CMM Court?
The Judge Court usually means the district civil courts, from Assistant Judge to District Judge, which hear suits and civil appeals. The CMM Court is the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in a metropolitan area, where police and complaint cases begin, and where bail and remand are first heard.
Which court will hear my case?
It depends on the type of dispute, its value and where it arose. Civil suits go to the court matching their valuation, criminal cases start before a Magistrate, family disputes go to the Family Court, and many specialist disputes have their own tribunal. We will tell you the right forum at the first consultation.
Can you take over a case that another lawyer is handling?
Yes. We review the order sheet and papers, obtain a no-objection from the previous advocate in line with professional practice, and file a new vakalatnama.
Can you file bail or a writ in the High Court Division?
Yes. We regularly move the High Court Division for anticipatory and regular bail, quashing, criminal and civil revisions, and writ petitions against government authorities.
Do I need mediation before filing a case?
For family, house rent, partition, pre-emption, parents’ maintenance and certain dowry disputes, pre-case mediation through the District Legal Aid Office is now mandatory in the districts where it has been rolled out. We represent clients in that mediation too.
Do I have to attend every court date?
An accused on bail generally must, unless the court permits otherwise. In civil and family cases parties usually attend when their evidence or presence is required. We tell you in advance which dates need you in person.
Have a date coming up?
Send us the case number and the latest order. We will tell you where things stand and what the next hearing needs.