Year
2025
Reform Domain
Women
Sub Domain
Institutional
Source of Reform Proposals
Women's Reform Commission Report
Reform Proposed
Reform Initiated
Legal and Policy Framework
Operationalisation
Action Implementation
Stage of Implementation
Reform Proposed
Last Update: 29-Jul-26
This reform proposal has been articulated in the Women Reform Commission Report but has yet to be officially initiated.
Reform Initiated
Last Update: 29-Jul-26
On 7 April 2025, the government amended the Muslim Marriage and Divorce (Registration) Rules, 2009, allowing online registration alongside the manual process. Later, on 11 December 2025, the High Court directed the government to digitalise marriage and divorce registration systems.
Legal and Policy Framework
Last Update: 29-Jul-26
In its full judgment published on 28 January 2026, the High Court directed the government to establish a central, searchable, and tamper-proof digital system for marriage and divorce registration across the country. The judgment also directed the government to ensure easy and low-cost access to digital certified copies, particularly for women, and to submit a compliance report and implementation plan to the Court within three months.
Observation
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During the Interim Government’s tenure, the High Court, in its full judgment published on 28 January 2026, directed the government to establish a central, searchable and tamper-proof digital system for marriage and divorce registration and to submit an implementation plan and compliance report within three months. However, no publicly verifiable evidence was identified showing that the Interim Government took concrete steps to implement the directive.
Following Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliamentary Election, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister on 16 April 2026 stated in the parliament that online marriage and divorce registration under Muslim marriage law would be introduced in 102 unions across 10 districts under the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics initiative. However, the current status of the implementation of the High Court's verdict could not be assessed due to the lack of publicly available evidence.
Resources