Criminal law in Bangladesh combines substantive offences under the Penal Code and other legislation with the procedure set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898. Special statutes may create separate offences, courts, timelines, or procedural requirements, so the applicable legal framework must be identified at the beginning of a matter.
A criminal matter may move through a complaint or first information report, investigation, arrest, bail, charge, trial, judgment, and appeal. The immediate priorities vary considerably depending on whether a person is reporting an offence, responding to an allegation, facing an urgent arrest risk, or preparing for a hearing.