Article 137 Public service commissions
Establishment of commissions
The Public Service Commission is the gatekeeper for most government careers. A credible commission gives every candidate a fair chance at a public job.
Article 137 requires a law providing for one or more public service commissions. The current law, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Ordinance 1977, sets up a single commission and fixes the number of its members within limits set by that law.
The President appoints a chairman and the other members under Article 138, at least half of whom must have twenty years of government service. In practice the appointments are made on the Prime Minister's advice and announced by government notification.
The commission advertises posts, conducts preliminary, written and viva examinations, and recommends successful candidates to the government for appointment to cadre and non-cadre posts in the service of the Republic, listed in order of merit for each post.
In plain English
How Article 137 works
Article 137 requires the law to establish one or more public service commissions for Bangladesh. Each commission has a chairman and as many other members as the law prescribes. The commissions exist to make recruitment to government service fair and based on merit rather than patronage. The Bangladesh Public Service Commission, which runs the Bangladesh Civil Service examinations, is the commission now established under this Article. The detailed rules on its functioning are set by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Ordinance 1977 and related regulations.
In practice
Bangladesh has had a single Public Service Commission since 1977, when earlier separate commissions were merged by the 1977 Ordinance. Its credibility has periodically been questioned, including over allegations of question leaks in recruitment examinations. The Constitution Reform Commission proposed in January 2025 that the PSC and other key commissions should have uniform constitutional rules on tenure and appointment, but no change to this Article has been enacted. Recruitment to the judicial service is handled separately by the Judicial Service Commission.
The text
What Article 137 says
137. Provision shall be made by law for establishing one or more public service commissions for Bangladesh, each of which shall consist of a chairman and such other members as shall be prescribed by law.
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 137: frequently asked questions
How many public service commissions does Bangladesh have?
One. Article 137 allows the law to set up one or more commissions, and since 1977 the Bangladesh Public Service Commission Ordinance has provided for a single Bangladesh Public Service Commission responsible for recruitment to the civil service.
What is the Bangladesh Public Service Commission?
It is the constitutional body, established by law under Article 137, that conducts the Bangladesh Civil Service examinations and advises the President on recruitment, promotion and discipline of the public service under Article 140.
Sources
- Laws of Bangladesh: Article 137, Establishment of commissions
- Dhaka Tribune: Constitution Reform Commission proposals
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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