Amendments of the Constitution

by Barrister Tahmidur Rahman | Oct 25, 2026

Amendments of the Constitution: Every amendment, animated

Seventeen amendments between 1973 and 2018, and the court rulings of 2024 to 2026 that reshaped the text. Follow each one: why it was made, what it changed, article by article, and what the courts later did with it.

Play the walkthrough The amendments, in order

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The Fourth Amendment, passed on 25 January 1975, made the largest changes to the original Constitution. It replaced the parliamentary system with a presidential one, gave executive power to the President, and inserted Part VIA, which allowed a single national party.
The Fifth Amendment, passed on 6 April 1979, added paragraph 18 to the Fourth Schedule.
The Twelfth Amendment restored parliamentary government.
The Thirteenth Amendment created the Non-Party Care-taker Government.
The Fifteenth Amendment was one of the widest revisions of the Constitution, touching more than fifty provisions.
Between October 2024 and July 2026 the Supreme Court changed the operative text of the Constitution without any new Amendment Act. The Sixteenth Amendment review left judges' removal with the Supreme Judicial Council.

Background

How amendments of the Constitution of Bangladesh work

Amendments of the Constitution of Bangladesh are made under Article 142, by an Act passed with the votes of at least two-thirds of the total members of Parliament. Parliament passed seventeen amendments between 1973 and 2018. The Supreme Court later struck down or partly voided several of them, and the 2024 to 2026 rulings restored earlier provisions without any new amendment.

Each page below explains why the amendment was made, what it changed article by article, and what the courts did with it next.

Sources

Timeline

The amendments, in order

1973FirstThe First Amendment was passed on 15 July 1973, seven months after the Constitution came into force.In force 1973SecondThe Second Amendment, passed on 22 September 1973, gave the state powers the 1972 Constitution had left out.In force 1974ThirdThe Third Amendment changed Article 2, which defines the territory of Bangladesh, to give effect to the land boundary agreement of 1974 between…In force 1975FourthThe Fourth Amendment, passed on 25 January 1975, made the largest changes to the original Constitution.Repealed 1979FifthThe Fifth Amendment, passed on 6 April 1979, added paragraph 18 to the Fourth Schedule.Struck down 1981SixthThe Sixth Amendment, passed in 1981, amended Articles 51 and 66 of the Constitution as it then stood under the presidential system.Repealed 1986SeventhThe Seventh Amendment did two things. Section 2 raised the retirement age of Supreme Court judges in Article 96 from 62 to 65.Struck down 1988EighthThe Eighth Amendment inserted Article 2A, declaring Islam the state religion, and replaced Article 100 so that the High Court Division would have…Partly void 1989NinthThe Ninth Amendment changed the presidential system then in place.Repealed 1990TenthThe Tenth Amendment substituted clause (3) of Article 65 to reserve 30 seats in Parliament exclusively for women.Spent 1991EleventhThe Eleventh Amendment added paragraph 21 to the Fourth Schedule.Spent 1991TwelfthThe Twelfth Amendment restored parliamentary government. It replaced Chapters I and II of Part IV with new Chapters I to III, so that executive power…In force 1996ThirteenthThe Thirteenth Amendment created the Non-Party Care-taker Government. When Parliament was dissolved, power passed for up to ninety days to a…Revived by court 2004FourteenthThe Fourteenth Amendment made four main changes. It reserved 45 seats for women in Parliament for ten years, to be elected by the 300 directly…In force 2011FifteenthThe Fifteenth Amendment was one of the widest revisions of the Constitution, touching more than fifty provisions.Partly void 2014SixteenthThe Sixteenth Amendment changed how Supreme Court judges can be removed.Struck down 2018SeventeenthThe Seventeenth Amendment extended the 50 seats reserved for women in Parliament.In force 20262024-2026 rulingsBetween October 2024 and July 2026 the Supreme Court changed the operative text of the Constitution without any new Amendment Act.In force

Questions

Amendments of the Constitution

How many times has the Constitution of Bangladesh been amended?

Seventeen times by Act of Parliament, from the First Amendment of 1973 to the Seventeenth Amendment of 2018. Several amendments were later struck down or partly declared void by the Supreme Court, and the 2024 to 2026 rulings restored earlier provisions without a new amendment.