Backlog of Civil Suits: A Comparative Study of Bangladesh and India

Abstract

Civil suits form a major predicament in the judiciary delivery systems of both Bangladesh and India. Delays in civil litigation regimes undermine public trust, impose economic and social costs on litigating parties, and hinder access to justice. This paper will provide a comparative study of the backlog of civil suits in both nations, specifically examining how the subordinate courts operate. The research has several substantive contributions to the backlog comprehension, based on journal articles, judicial statistics, case studies, and empirical observations, identifying structural inadequacies, procedural intricacies, deficiency of judicial resources, and misuse of judicial procedures. These results show that, despite their differences in scale, the systemic issues in Bangladesh and India are largely similar. The growing civil suit backlog will not allow for timely and meaningful justice in the absence of procedural reforms, institutional fortification, and effective case management.

Dhaka University Law Journal, 2026, 37 (1), 157-178