The Bangladesh Hindu Law Reform Council (BHLRC) is a national, non-governmental, and non-partisan social organization founded on September 1, 2021, to champion equality and justice within Hindu personal laws in Bangladesh.
For centuries, these colonial-era laws—first codified under British rule—have denied Hindu, Buddhist, and Indigenous women, along with gender-diverse and disabled persons, their rightful equality in matters of inheritance, marriage, guardianship, adoption, and divorce. BHLRC stands as the first coordinated citizens’ movement working to end this injustice through research, advocacy, and civic engagement.
Our Purpose: Restoring Equality Within Faith and Law
BHLRC’s mission arises from a profound constitutional and moral crisis.
While the Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees equal protection of the law for all citizens, remnants of Hindu personal laws continue to sanction discrimination—particularly against women and marginalized groups.
BHLRC rejects the false notion that such inequality is a sacred command. In truth, Hindu law in Bangladesh is not divine revelation but a collection of region-specific customs introduced in 1772 by Warren Hastings and reinforced under British colonial policy. Over time, these customs hardened into structural injustice, contradicting both the compassionate essence of Sanatan Dharma and Bangladesh’s secular democratic ideals.
Neighboring India, Nepal, and Mauritius—all Hindu-majority nations—have already reformed these laws without compromising their faith. Bangladesh, too, must align its legal system with both constitutional equality and moral truth. Reforming Hindu personal law is therefore not a rebellion against religion but a restoration of its humane spirit—the belief that woman is Shakti, the embodiment of divine strength.
Our Mission
To reform discriminatory Hindu personal laws so that every person—regardless of gender, identity, or ability—enjoys full and equal rights in family, property, and social life as guaranteed by the Constitution of Bangladesh.
Our Vision
A Bangladesh where law and religion coexist in harmony with justice, where no daughter is disinherited, no widow is dispossessed, and no woman lives as a dependent under law—a nation true to both its secular founding and its spiritual conscience.
Our Work and Advocacy
BHLRC operates as a social reform movement combining grassroots activism with intellectual rigor.
Since its inception, the Council has organized a series of seminars, conferences, discussion meetings, community dialogues, and human-chain programs across the country. Yet its most powerful impact comes from its virtual campaign, which reaches millions through Facebook and YouTube.
With nearly 15,000 active members on its official Facebook group, the Council has become a vibrant online forum where activists debate, educate, and challenge entrenched prejudice.
Every day, these activists face vicious online attacks from extremist and misogynistic groups—but they continue undeterred, responding with knowledge, civility, and faith in justice. The leaders regularly hosts virtual talk shows and appears on national television programs, calmly answering critics and explaining complex legal issues with clarity and compassion.
Their effort has transformed the debate on Hindu law reform from a taboo topic into a national conversation about equality, dignity, and Bangladesh’s constitutional future.
Our 11-Point Legislative Reform Proposal
To institutionalize reform, BHLRC has presented an 11-point legislative proposal to the National Parliament, calling for:
- Equal inheritance rights for sons, daughters, and spouses.
- Protection of homestead property from unjust sale or seizure.
- Legal recognition of divorce for both men and women.
- Mandatory marriage registration for Hindus.
- Prohibition of polygamy except by judicial approval.
- Recognition of inter-caste marriages and their children’s rights.
- Inclusive adoption laws allowing women and gender-diverse persons to adopt.
- Equal guardianship for fathers and mothers.
- Inheritance rights for persons with disabilities.
- Protection of Debottar (religious trust) property and minority assets.
- Implementation of prior electoral commitments, including a Minority Protection Act and a National Minority Commission.
These proposals form the blueprint for building a just, inclusive, and modern Hindu family-law system in Bangladesh.
Legal Recognition
BHLRC’s advocacy has reached the nation’s highest courts. On February 13, 2022, a writ petition was filed with the High Court Division challenging the validity of legal provisions that bar Hindu women from inheriting paternal property.
Just one day later, on February 14, 2022, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain why such provisions should not be declared unconstitutional. Then, on February 27, 2022, the Court appointed Pulack Ghatack, General Secretary of BHLRC, as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist in examining the constitutional and religious implications of those discriminatory laws.
This judicial recognition underscores the credibility and expertise of BHLRC and its leadership in shaping the national conversation on legal equality.
Our Leadership
The Council is led by Professor Dr. Moyna Talukder (President) and Pulack Ghatack (General Secretary), along with an executive committee comprising eminent educators, jurists, physicians, and activists representing diverse regions and communities.
Their collective commitment reflects BHLRC’s belief that justice delayed is justice denied—and that reforming Hindu law is not only a matter of gender equity but of restoring the moral integrity of Bangladesh’s legal system itself.
Why Reform Cannot Wait
The denial of inheritance to daughters is not a matter of theology—it is a crisis of humanity.
A widow’s dependence, a daughter’s disinheritance, and a mother’s lack of guardianship are forms of structural violence that contradict both law and morality.
To delay reform is to accept inequality. To enact reform is to restore the soul of justice.
As Swami Vivekananda said: “Any religion that cannot wipe the tears of a widow or feed an orphan is no religion at all.”
For BHLRC, the reform of Hindu law is not merely a legal project—it is a civilizational duty.
Website: www.bhlrc.org
Email: info@bhlrc.org | Facebook: @bhlrcbangladesh