Faruk Magura Correspondent: Coordination meetings were held at the Union Parishad level in 36 unions across Magura’s four upazilas: Magura Sadar, Sreepur, Mohammadpur, and Shalikha, to raise public knowledge of village court activities.
On Thursday, June 26 at 11:30 a.m., a coordination meeting was held with local stakeholders to conduct PR initiatives to raise public knowledge of village court activities in the Magura District Commissioner’s Office conference room.

The program was presided over by Magura Local Government Deputy Director Md. Abdul Quader and moderated by Bangladesh Village Court Activation (Phase 3) Project, Magura District Manager Md. General Islam. Overall support was provided by Bangladesh Village Court Activation (Phase 3) Upazila Coordinator Shiuli Akhter.Magura District Commissioner Md. Ahidul Islam was present as the chief guest.

The chief guest at the village court coordination meeting, Magura Deputy Commissioner Md. Ahidul Islam, said that training workshops and training have already been given to Union Parishad UP members on village courts in almost all districts of Bangladesh. In continuation of this, in Magura Sadar Upazila, work is already being done in the Union Parishads of Magura Sadar Upazila last May to ensure justice for the people and training is being given for mass publicity.

According to the Village Court Act 2006, a village court is formed in the union parishad for the easy and speedy settlement of certain criminal and civil disputes locally. The village court can settle criminal and civil disputes worth not more than 3 lakh taka. There is no provision for appointment of lawyers in the village court. The village court can settle criminal disputes in cases of theft, riot, fraud, quarrel, dispute or fight, embezzlement of valuable property, wrongful control and wrongful detention, intimidation or threats, speaking, making gestures or doing any other act with the intention of disrespecting or insulting the modesty of a woman and the settlement of civil disputes is related to the recovery of money owed, recovery of possession of immovable property, recovery of movable property or its value, compensation for forcible possession or damage to any movable property, compensation due to trespassing of cattle, recovery of wages and compensation payable to agricultural workers, recovery of arrears of maintenance by the wife, etc. In addition, poor and marginalized people, especially women, the disabled, and ethnic minorities, have easy access to dispute resolution.

Village courts cannot resolve disputes related to rape, murder, kidnapping, robbery, polygamy, divorce, guardianship, dower, restoration of marital relations, dowry, violence against women and children, ownership of immovable property if there is bloodshed in any incident, and any dispute worth more than 3 lakh taka.