Ajit Mohuri is a small businessman and farmer from Rauzan, Chattogram, a tranquil village surrounded by greenery. Most residents rely on agriculture and remittances for their livelihood.

Ajit Mohuri and his six brothers are no exception. A few months back, all the siblings consented to lease their ancestral pond for BDT 60,000 (492.58 USD). Instead of leasing the pond to someone else, Ajit Mohuri and Sanjit Mohuri decided to keep it for themselves. Based on that decision, they gave the entire amount of BDT 60,000 to their other brothers. Ajit and Sanjit were also entitled to a share of that amount, so they asked for their rightful portion. The deal was to distribute the money equally among the seven brothers. According to the equation, each was supposed to get BDT 8,571 (70.37 USD).

But things took an unexpected turn during distribution. Five of their siblings refused to give Ajit and his brother Sanjit their share. They were shocked and felt helpless. Ajit turned to a local elected representative member named Bachchu. After listening to his problem, the member suggested he go for a formal solution through the Village Court.

Ajit took the advice and filed a complaint with only BDT  20 (0.17 USD) in the village court. He became hopeful about a way forward. Within a short time, The Union Parishad Chairman summoned the five brothers to appear, following the relevant provisions of the Village Court Act, 2006. Eventually, Ajit received BDT 10,000 (82.10 USD) including compensation.

"I used to be scared of filing formal complaints, considering it complicated. But I have realised that Village Court is accessible to people like us. And I would suggest others come here for conflict mitigation," he said.

Village Court is a semi-formal judicial system for resolving minor disputes at the local level. The Government of Bangladesh launched a village court in 2009 with support from the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The aim was to make justice faster, simpler, and more affordable.

This system continues to transform lives across Bangladesh to this day. In 2024, approximately 114,700 rural people received dispute resolution services through the Village Court.  It swiftly resolves certain criminal and civil disputes valued up to 300,000 BDT (2462.90 USD).

Aiming to serve 89 million rural citizens, it operates in 4,453 Union Parishads across 61 districts—excluding the three Chittagong Hill Tracts. Today, the Village Court stands as a symbol of justice, inclusion, and empowerment, ensuring access to fair and affordable dispute resolution for all.