Traditional Justice System of the Harijan Community in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

The main objective of this research was to examine the characteristics of the traditional justice delivery system utilized by the Harijan community in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and to illustrate its status along with the roles of judicial services within this community. The study focused on a Harijan colony in Rajshahi district namely the I.D. (Infectious Disease) Ambagan Harijan Palli. A mixed-method approach was employed, which included a social survey involving 110 heads of households using a semi-structured questionnaire to gather quantitative data. Additionally, qualitative data were collected through 20 in-depth interviews (IDIs), 10 key informant interviews (KIIs), and 1 focus group discussion (FGD). The findings indicated that a significant number of Harijan individuals had never engaged with the court or judiciary system, revealing a biased role of the Panchayat or Samaj in maintaining law and order, as they were unable to safeguard the Harijan community from attacks by influential individuals and outsiders. Nevertheless, the results also indicated that many Harijan people expressed satisfaction with their traditional justice system. Furthermore, the study identified various barriers that hinder access to the formal justice system. These findings are expected to serve as a valuable resource for government officials, NGO leaders, legal practitioners, and development professionals.