Staff Reporter:
The High Court (HC) on Thursday set 26 October for the next hearing on a rule questioning the validity of the 15th amendment to the constitution allowing the Speaker, instead of the Chief Justice, to administer the oath to the President.
The court also appointed seven amicus curiae to provide legal opinions on whether the President should take the oath from the Speaker or the Chief Justice.
A tribunal of Justice Sashanka Shekhar Sharma and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar passed the order after hearing a petition in this regard.
Those appointed as amicus curiae include senior lawyer Zainul Abedin, Advocate Probir Neogi, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Dr Shahdeen Malik, Advocate Ahsanul Karim, Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua.
Barrister Omar Faruq represented the petitioner in the court.
The petition, filed on 10 March by lyricist Shahidullah Forayzi, sought restoration of the 1972 Constitution provision requiring the Chief Justice to administer the presidential oath.
The court’s rule seeks clarity on why removing the Chief Justice and assigning the task to the Speaker under the 15th Amendment would not conflict with the original constitution and why the amendment provision should not be annulled.
The Law Secretary, Cabinet Secretary and Supreme Court Registrar General have been made respondents to the rule.
