The Legal History of the Indian Sub-continent and Bangladesh | Hindu Period: in Indian Sub-continent

note: The map of the Indian Sub-continent and Bangladesh

The present legal system of Bangladesh owes its origin mainly to 200-year British rule in the Indian sub-continent although some elements of it are remnants of the pre-British period tracing back to Hindu and Mughal Administration. It passed through various stages and has been gradually developed as a continuous historical process. The Indian sub-continent has a known history of over five hundred years with Hindu and Muslim  periods which preceded the British period, and each of these early periods had a distinctive legal system of its own, 

For a better understanding of the pace of this development, it would be convenient to divide the history into five periods- 

• The Vedic age;

• Hindu period;

• Muslim period;

• British period; 
  

• Pakistan period and;

• Bangladesh period;

Hindu period extends for nearly 1500 years before and after the beginning of the Christian era. Muslim period begins with the first major invasion by Muslims in 1100 AD. The British period begins with the consolidation of British power in the middle of the 18th century and lasts for nearly 200 years. The modern period began with the withdrawal of the British when on 15 August 1947, India was declared independent.