Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad

Powers and functions

• The Speaker performs the functions of the President, if there is a temporary vacancy in that office or if the President is unable to perform her functions until a President is elected or the President resumes her duties, as the case may be;
• The Speaker administers oath to members of parliament or nominates someone to do so;
• A person elected as a Member of Parliament has to take oath of office within 90 days of his election or lose her seat. The Speaker can extend this period for good cause;
• Should a dispute arise as to the leadership of a parliamentary party, the Speaker has been invested with powers to resolve the dispute following the procedure laid down in clause of Article 70 and determine its leadership by the majority of votes through a division;
• The Speaker causes a notification to be issued by the Parliament Secretariat declaring the seat of a member of Parliament vacant on account of death, resignation, failure to take oath within 90 days of her election or within the time extended for this purpose by the Speaker, absence from Parliament without leave for ninety consecutive sitting days;
• The Speaker also causes a similar notification to be issued when a member resigns from, or votes against, the party which had nominated him/her as a candidate at the election or if a member earns any disqualification that makes a person ineligible for election as a member of parliament. If, however, any dispute arises on these matters, the Speaker refers the matter to the Election Commission for a decision;
• The Speaker authenticates all Bills passed in Parliament when presented to the President for his assent. If a Bill bears a certificate under the hand of the Speaker that it is a 'money bill
• then that certificate is conclusive for all purposes and cannot be questioned in any court.

• He decides the admissibility of notices for questions, resolutions, petitions, questions of privileges, short discussions, half-an-hour discussions, adjournment motions, call attention and all other notices intended to be raised in the House for a discussion;
• The Speaker decides all points of order raised in the House;
• He decides the duration of discussion on any subject if it is not already decided by the rules. He allocates time for each speaker to speak on a subject;
• He can apply the guillotine on discussions on cut motions on demands for grants to put the demands directly to vote;
• He reads out messages of the President received on a Bill returned by him for reconsideration and if the Parliament is not in session he gets the message published in the Bulletin and lays it in the House in its first sitting after receipt of the message;
• He can expunge any word uttered in the House which he considers to be un-parliamentary;
• He nominates four important committees of the House and he is the ex officio Chairman of two important committees viz. the Business Advisory Committee and the Committee on Rules of Procedure;
• He can convene a meeting of a standing committee on a Ministry if such meeting is not called by its chairman within the time prescribed by the rules;
• The Speaker can authorise a meeting of a parliamentary committee to be held outside the precincts of Parliament;
• The Speaker gives the final decision as to whether a document is relevant or not for production before a parliamentary committee;
• The Speaker has to be informed if a member of parliament is arrested or when he is released from custody.
• In case of disorderly conduct of a member in the House, the Speaker can direct him to go out of the House and take other disciplinary action against him;
• The Speaker controls entry into those parts of the House which are exclusively reserved for members;
• If any matter arises in connection with the business of the House or in the committees for which no provision exists in the Rules of Procedure, the Speaker decides the matter.

Election

Tenure

Officeholders