Constitution, Law, and Legal Procedure
Core concepts
Candidates must know the Constitution of Bangladesh (its preamble, fundamental rights, directive principles, structure of government, and amendment procedure) and the basic framework of criminal and civil law: the Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Evidence Act, and special laws relevant to policing. Key ideas include offence, cognizable and non-cognizable cases, arrest, bail, remand, charge, trial, appeal, and the presumption of innocence.
Traps
The most common confusion is between cognizable and non-cognizable offences and the resulting police power to arrest without warrant. Candidates mix investigation with inquiry, or bailable with non-bailable. Constitutional questions swap fundamental rights with directive principles, forgetting that fundamental rights are enforceable in court while directive principles are not directly enforceable. Amendment thresholds and the difference between ordinary and special procedures also appear as traps.
Rule of thumb and worked example
For any procedural question, ask: who acts (police, magistrate, court), at what stage (complaint, FIR, investigation, charge, trial), and what power is used. Example: in a cognizable offence, police may register a case and investigate without a magistrate's order; in a non-cognizable offence, police generally need a magistrate's direction to investigate. For rights, remember the test: is it in Part III of the Constitution? If yes, a writ may lie.
Study method
Learn procedure as a flow chart from complaint to appeal; that single chart answers most stage-based questions.