{ "act_title": "The Passport Act, 1920", "act_no": "XXXIV", "act_year": "1920", "publication_date": "19/07/2025", "sections": [ { "section_content": "1.(1) This Act may be called thePassport Act, 1920.(2) \tIt extends to the whole of Bangladesh." }, { "section_content": "2. \tIn this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-\"entry\" means entry by water, land or air;\"passport\" means a passport for the time being in force issued or renewed by the prescribed authority and satisfying the conditions prescribed relating to the class of passports to which it belongs; and\"prescribed\" means prescribed by rules made under this Act." }, { "section_content": "3.(1) The Government may make rules requiring that persons entering Bangladesh shall be in possession of passports, and for all matters ancillary or incidental to that purpose.(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power such rules may-(a) \tprohibit the entry into Bangladesh or any part thereof of any person who has not in his possession a passport issued to him;(b) \tprescribe the authorities by whom passports must have been issued or renewed , and the conditions with which they must comply, for the purposes of this Act; and(c) \tprovide for the exemption, either absolutely or on any condition, of any person or class of persons from any provision of such rules.(3) \tRules made under this section may provide that any contravention thereof or of any order issued under the authority of any such rule shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine or with both.(4) \tAll rules made under this section shall be published in the official Gazette, and shall thereupon have effect as if enacted in this Act." }, { "section_content": "4.(1) Any officer of police, not below the rank of a sub-inspector, and any officer of the Customs Department empowered by a general or special order of the Government in this behalf may arrest without warrant any person who has contravened or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has contravened any rule or order made under section 3.(2) \tEvery officer making an arrest under this section shall, without unnecessary delay, take or send the person arrested before a Magistrate having jurisdiction in the case or to the officer in charge of the nearest police-station and the provisions of section 61 of theCode of Criminal Procedure, 1898, shall, so far as may be, apply in the case of any such arrest." }, { "section_content": "5. \tThe Government may, by general or special order, direct the removal of any person from Bangladesh who, in contravention of any rule made under section 3 prohibiting entry into Bangladesh without passport, has entered therein, and thereupon any officer of the Government shall have all reasonable powers necessary to enforce such direction." }, { "section_content": "6.\t[Omitted by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)." } ], "footnotes": [ { "footnote_text": "1Throughout this Act, except otherwise provided, the words \"Bangladesh\" and \"Government\" were substituted, for the words \"Pakistan\" and \"Central Government\" respectively by section 3 and 2nd Schedule of theBangladesh Laws (Revision And Declaration) Act, 1973(Act No. VIII of 1973)" } ], "copyright_info": { "copyright_text": "Copyright©2019, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs DivisionMinistry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs" }, "source_url": "http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-print-121.html", "fetch_timestamp": "2025-07-19 02:07:58", "csv_metadata": { "act_title_from_csv": "The Passport Act, 1920", "act_no_from_csv": "XXXIV", "act_year_from_csv": "1920", "is_repealed": false }, "token_count": 649, "language": "english", "government_context": { "govt_system": "British Colonial Rule", "position_head_govt": "Governor of Bengal", "head_govt_name": "Earl of Ronaldshay (Lawrence Dundas)", "head_govt_designation": "Governor of Bengal Province", "how_got_power": "British Crown appointment", "period_years": "1917-1922", "years_in_power": 5 }, "processing_info": { "processed_timestamp": "2025-07-19 19:33:19", "enhanced_with_reducer": true, "enhanced_with_govt_context": true, "language_detected": "english", "token_count": 508, "legal_context_added": true, "legal_context_timestamp": "2025-07-19 20:26:25", "year_standardized": true, "year_standardization_timestamp": "2025-07-19 20:35:52", "token_count_updated": true, "token_count_update_timestamp": "2025-07-19 20:56:02", "previous_token_count": 508, "accurate_token_count": 649 }, "legal_system_context": { "period_info": { "period_name": "British Crown Rule", "year_range": "1858-1947", "act_year": 1920 }, "legal_framework": { "primary_laws": [ "Government of India Act 1858", "Indian Penal Code 1860", "Code of Civil Procedure 1908", "Evidence Act 1872" ], "court_system": [ "High Courts (1861)", "District Courts", "Magistrate Courts" ], "legal_basis": "Codified British-Indian legal system", "enforcement_mechanism": "Imperial Police Service and civil courts" }, "government_system": { "type": "Crown Colony Administration", "structure": "Viceroy and provincial governors", "revenue_collection": "Imperial taxation system", "administrative_units": [ "Provinces", "Districts", "Sub-districts" ] }, "policing_system": { "law_enforcement": "Police Act 1861 - structured police force", "military_police": "Imperial Police Service", "jurisdiction": "Provincial police under colonial control" }, "land_relations": { "tenure_system": "Zamindari, Ryotwari, and Mahalwari systems", "property_rights": "Colonial property law framework", "revenue_system": "Land revenue administration", "peasant_status": "Various tenant classes with limited rights" }, "key_characteristics": [ "Codification of laws (Penal Code, CPC, Evidence Act)", "Structured civil service system", "Constitutional developments (1909, 1919, 1935 Acts)", "Bengal Tenancy Act 1885 and amendments", "Emergency powers and martial law provisions" ], "context_added_timestamp": "2025-07-19 20:26:25" } }