The High Court has set July 7 as the date for hearing a rule that questions the constitutionality of a provision in the 15th Amendment, which allows the Speaker of Parliament to administer the oath to the President instead of the Chief Justice.

Earlier, on March 10, Supreme Court lawyer Shahidullah Farazi filed a writ petition seeking directives to reinstate the original provision of the 1972 Constitution, under which the Chief Justice was responsible for administering the presidential oath.

In the rule, the court asked why the provision of the 15th Amendment—replacing the Chief Justice with the Speaker—should not be declared contradictory to the original Constitution and declared void. The rule was issued to determine whether this amendment contradicts the fundamental structure of the 1972 Constitution.

The Secretary to the Law Ministry, the Secretary of the Cabinet Division, and the Registrar General of the Supreme Court have been asked to respond to the rule.