Article 4A Portrait of the Father of the Nation
Portrait of the Father of the Nation
Article 4A creates a duty for public offices and educational institutions, including private ones. Whether that duty is enforced has changed with politics, which makes it a clear example of a provision under reform debate.
In force on the text. In October 2025 the National Consensus Commission asked political parties whether the July National Charter should propose repealing Article 4A, as reported; no amendment had been enacted as of October 2026.
Article 4A lists the offices where the portrait must be preserved and displayed, from Bangabhaban and the Prime Minister's Office to district offices, statutory bodies and embassies abroad. The duty is to preserve the portrait as well as display it, which makes it a continuing obligation.
The duty extends to government and non-government educational institutions. A private college therefore falls within the article's wording, not only state offices. Heads of schools, colleges and universities across the country were expected to comply after 2011, and inspections sometimes checked for the portrait.
In August 2019 a High Court Division bench, hearing a writ petition, directed that the portrait be hung in all courtrooms across the country within two months, treating the display as mandatory under the Constitution.
In October 2025 the National Consensus Commission wrote to political parties asking whether repeal of Article 4A should be included in the July National Charter. As of October 2026 no amendment had been passed, so the text remains in force.
In plain English
How Article 4A works
Article 4A requires the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, described as the Father of the Nation, to be preserved and displayed in many public places. These include the offices of the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Chief Justice, government and semi-government offices, statutory bodies, schools, colleges and universities, and Bangladesh's embassies and missions abroad. It was added by the Fifteenth Amendment in 2011. Since 2024 the article has been politically contested, and a proposal to repeal it was put to political parties during the reform talks, but the text has not been changed.
In practice
Article 4A was inserted in 2011 and was actively enforced for more than a decade, including a 2019 High Court Division direction to display the portrait in every courtroom. After August 2024, practice changed in many offices, as reported in the press, while the text stayed the same. The High Court Division's December 2024 judgment on the Fifteenth Amendment did not strike down Article 4A, as reported, and left most remaining issues to Parliament. The National Consensus Commission sought parties' views on repeal in October 2025. Any repeal would require an amendment under Article 142.
The text
What Article 4A says
[4A. The Portrait of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shall be preserved and displayed at the offices of the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Chief Justice and in head and branch offices of all government and semi-government offices, autonomous bodies, statutory public authorities, government and non-government educational institutions, embassies and missions of Bangladesh abroad.]
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
History
Amendments
- Fifteenth Amendment 2011Inserted Article 4A on preserving and displaying the portrait of the Father of the Nation (bdlaws describes it as substituted).
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 4A: frequently asked questions
What is Article 4A of the Constitution of Bangladesh?
Article 4A requires the portrait of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to be preserved and displayed in the offices of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker and Chief Justice, in government offices, educational institutions and Bangladesh missions abroad.
Has Article 4A been repealed?
No. As of October 2026 the text remains in the Constitution. The National Consensus Commission asked parties in October 2025 whether its repeal should be part of the July National Charter, but repeal needs a constitutional amendment passed by Parliament, and none had been enacted.
Sources
- bdlaws: The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Article 4A
- The Business Standard: All courtrooms must hang Bangabandhu's portrait: HC (29 August 2019)
- The Business Standard: Consensus commission proposes scrapping constitutional mandate for Mujib portrait display (11 October 2025)
- Prothom Alo English: Caretaker govt reinstated as some provisions scrapped (17 December 2024)
This guide explains the Constitution for general understanding. It is not legal advice. Constitutional reform proposals under discussion in 2026 are described as proposals until enacted.
Constitutional and writ practice
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