Dhaka, June 23 (V7N) — The High Court has scheduled July 7 for the final hearing on a writ petition challenging whether the Speaker of the National Assembly or the Chief Justice should administer the oath of office to the President of Bangladesh.

The date was set by the High Court bench headed by Justice Shashank Shekhar Sarkar following a hearing on Monday (June 23).

The petition, which questions the legality of the Speaker administering the oath, argues that the responsibility should instead lie with the Chief Justice, as the head of the judiciary.

Earlier, on March 11, the High Court issued a rule asking why it would not be declared illegal for the Speaker to perform the swearing-in ceremony. The court also directed the Law Secretary, Cabinet Secretary, and other relevant parties to respond within four weeks.

Historically, before the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution in 1975, the Chief Justice administered the oath to the President, while the President administered the oath to the Chief Justice. The Fourth Amendment shifted this responsibility to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Although this provision was repealed by the Fifth Amendment, it was restored through the Fifteenth Amendment in 2011, reinstating the Speaker’s role in administering the presidential oath.

The final hearing on this significant constitutional matter will now take place on July 7, potentially reshaping one of the foundational formalities of the country's governance.

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