Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has made it clear no prior approval is required to arrest Tangail-4 MP Abdul Latif Siddique outside the Parliament premises.
Published : 24 Nov 2014, 06:46 PM
Former telecoms minister Siddique, who was dropped from the Cabinet and Awami League Presidium over his Hajj tirade, returned to Bangladesh Sunday night.
The media has been speculating about the Speaker's approval before arresting a lawmaker as some organisations including Hifazat-e Islam have threatened countrywide strikes to press for his arrest.
Siddique has been accused of hurting religious sentiments in a flurry of cases filed across the country after he made the remark in a discussion in New York in September. There are also warrants out for his arrest.
"The Rules of Procedure clearly states that Speaker's permission is mandatory to arrest an MP from the Parliament premises. However, the rules regarding the arrest of a lawmaker while Parliament is in session will be applicable for an MP," Chaudhury told bdnews24.com on Monday.