Article 37 Freedom of peaceful assembly
Freedom of assembly
Peaceful protest is one of the main ways citizens make their voices heard, as the 2024 student movement showed. The article sets the limits on how far the State can restrict it.
A group of citizens decides to hold a rally and procession to demand a policy change. Article 37 guarantees their right to assemble and march, provided they remain peaceful and unarmed. Human chains, marches and public meetings all fall within the protection.
The organisers notify the authorities. Under laws such as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976, police may set conditions on the time, place or route in the interests of public order. These conditions should be proportionate and announced in advance where possible.
If the authorities ban gatherings, for instance by an order under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the restriction must be imposed by law and be reasonable, justified by public order or public health.
Organisers can challenge an arbitrary or blanket ban by writ in the High Court Division. The court asks whether the restriction is genuinely needed for public order or health, or simply suppresses lawful protest. Courts look at the facts, the law cited and the scale of the ban.
In plain English
How Article 37 works
Article 37 gives every citizen the right to gather and to take part in public meetings and processions, provided they do so peacefully and without arms. Rallies, demonstrations, marches and human chains are all covered. The right can be limited by reasonable restrictions imposed by law, but only in the interests of public order or public health. So the police can regulate the time, place or route of a procession, and gatherings can be restricted during an epidemic. A blanket ban without a lawful and reasonable basis, however, would breach the article. The protection is lost if the gathering is violent or participants carry weapons.
In practice
In practice, gatherings are regulated through section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and metropolitan police laws, which allow the authorities to restrict assemblies in the interest of public order. Political rallies are frequent, and disputes over permissions for venues and routes are common. The July 2024 student protests over public service quotas grew into a mass uprising, and the then Prime Minister resigned on 5 August 2024. The use of force against those protests is the subject of International Crimes Tribunal trials, including the judgment of 17 November 2025, as reported. Courts generally require any restriction to have a clear legal basis and a public order or health justification.
The text
What Article 37 says
37. Every citizen shall have the right to assemble and to participate in public meetings and processions peacefully and without arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of public order or public health.
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. The Bangla text is authoritative (Article 153). Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 37: frequently asked questions
What is Article 37 of the Constitution of Bangladesh?
Article 37 gives every citizen the right to assemble and to participate in public meetings and processions peacefully and without arms, subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of public order or public health.
Do you need police permission to hold a rally in Bangladesh?
Article 37 protects the right to assemble, but laws such as the metropolitan police ordinances allow police to regulate gatherings and processions in the interests of public order. Organisers normally notify or seek permission, and restrictions must be reasonable.
Can the government ban protests?
Only through reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of public order or public health, such as a section 144 order. A ban that is arbitrary or broader than necessary can be challenged in the High Court Division.
Sources
- Laws of Bangladesh: The Constitution, Article 37
- Dhaka Tribune: Attorney General on the ICT-1 verdict (17 November 2025)
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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