Law Ministry releases updated ‍‍`Bangladesh Code‍‍` with 47 sections

The Law Ministry has published the “Bangladesh Code” on Monday, consolidating all existing laws into a single comprehensive document. The initiative, led by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the ministry, resulted in the publication of the Bangladesh Code in 47 sections.

Earlier in the day , Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the unveiling of the “Bangladesh Code” at her office before the Cabinet meeting commenced. The ceremony was attended by Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haque, and Secretary of the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, M Mainul Kabir.

The “Bangladesh Code” presented in the signature red and green cover, is now available in 47 sections. Up until 2014, all the prevailing laws were published in the “Bangladesh Code”, comprising 42 sections. This latest edition of the Bangladesh Code incorporates a total of 1,177 laws enacted until March 31, 2023.

Under Section Six of the Bangladesh Laws (Revision and Declaration) Act 1973, there is a legal requirement to compile all the existing laws in the form of a book, and this book is known as the “Bangladesh Code”.

In line with this legal obligation, last September, Law Minister Anisul Haque directed the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division to gather and update all current laws for the publication of the Bangladesh Code. A team, led by Joint Secretary Kazi Arifuzzaman of the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, has recently completed the task.

It is worth noting that the first Bangladesh Code was published in 1980. However, at that time, it only consisted of 11 sections, encompassing laws in effect until 1938. Subsequently, in 2006, the Code expanded to 38 sections, and in 2016, it comprised 42 sections. Now, after independence, Bangladesh has once again compiled all prevailing laws, providing a comprehensive and up-to-date reference in the form of the “Bangladesh Code”.