Cationic surfactant (Hexadecyltrimenthylammonium chloride) modified bentonite clay was prepared and systematically studied for its adsorption behavior as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of basic dyes such as methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV) and Rhodamine B (RB) from aqueous phase. Organo modified clay shows better capacity for the removal of three dyes. The adsorption process was found to be dependent on pH and initial dye concentration. The maximum dye sorption was found to be at a pH of 9.0 (99.99% for MB, 95.0% for CV and 83.0% for RB). The adsorption capacity for the dyes was found to be 399.74, 365.11 and 324.36 mu mol/g for MB, CV and RB, respectively at 30 degrees C. The equilibrium uptake was attained within 240 min. The kinetic studies were revealed that sorption follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model which indicates chemisorption between adsorbent and adsorbate molecules. Adsorption isotherm indicates non-energetically adsorption sites which fit with Freundlich isotherm model. The fitness of kinetics and isotherm models was evaluated by using HYBRID error analysis function. Competitive adsorptions of dyes were studied by using binary component systems. (C) 2015 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.