One of the primary assumptions of all legal systems is that citizens ought to have access to laws and be in a position to access the laws. This assumption is made meaningful by providing avenues for accessing the laws.
Publication of laws in the Bangladesh Gazette is the first step to make the people know that a particular law has been enacted. Further, according to section 6 and 6A of the Bangladesh Laws (Revision and Declaration) Act, 1973 (Act No. VIII of 1973), it is a mandatory direction to the Government that “All Acts of Parliament, Ordinances and President’s Order in force in Bangladesh shall be printed in chronological order under the name and style of the Bangladesh Code” and may also be made available through website.
The Bangladesh Code was first published between the years of 1977 and 1988 in 11 volumes and contained the laws from years 1836 to 1938. The current publication of the Bangladesh Code contains all existing Acts of Parliament, Ordinances and President’s Orders in force in Bangladesh, except Regulations and purely amending laws, in 38 volumes and an Index book in chronological and alphabetical order, separately. It comprises the earlier codified laws which are updated and relocated in volumes 1 to 8 and partly in volume 9 and the codified laws made between the years of 1939 and 2006 in volumes 9 to 38. These laws include enactments that have been inherited from the past, dating back to 1836, promulgated by various authorities according to the Constitution in force at the relevant time. By introducing the Bangla Vasha Procholon Ain, 1987, all laws enacted in Bangla are shown in volumes 27 to 38.
Laws enacted in English: volume 1 to 26 (from 1836 to 1986 AD)
Laws enacted in Bangla: volume 27 to 38 (from 1987 to 2007 AD)
In the website Bangladesh Code is presented in Portable Document Format (commonly known as PDF) which has been developed to show electronically the laws, as it is, incorporated in the Bangladesh Code which was published in June 2007.