Sangsad Bhaban, May 8 -- The 'Village Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2024' was passed in Parliament on Tuesday, empowering the village courts to impose fines of up to Tk 3 lakh.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister M Tazul Islam moved the Bill and it was passed.

As per the Bill, A village court comprises five members, including the union parishad chairman.

In some cases, the court cannot function if any member remains absent.

According to the draft law, if a vote occurs on a disputed matter in the absence of a member, and an equal number of votes are cast in favour of two sides, then the party gaining the chairman's vote will be declared victorious.

Additionally, in some instances of the previous law, the term 'min...