Abstract

The legal system in Bangladesh is the legacy of the British Rule in India which ended in 1947. From 1947 to 1971 Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and was known as East Pakistan. In 1971 Bangladesh emerged as a Sovereign Independent state through historic war of liberation. Most of the laws of the former times have been adapted and are still in force with certain minor changes here and there in name and nomenclature, the basic structures remaining almost the same. Because of lack of consistent and sound growth of democratic institutions due to political turmoils we could not as yet make any remarkable headway in bringing substantial reforms in our legal system needed for a truly democratic sovereign state so far the questions of fair and speedy trial are concerned. However, of late, attempts are being made to bring about comprehensive reforms to make the system adequately capable to cater to the need of the nation both by updating the existing laws and enactment of new laws where necessary and also improving the logistics and infrastructures with the support of the World Bank and other Donor agencies.