Article 79 Parliament Secretariat
Secretariat of Parliament
A secretariat answerable to Parliament rather than to ministers helps committees and members scrutinise the government without depending on it for staff and resources.
The Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat handles sittings, records debates, supports committees and manages the building. Article 79(1) makes it Parliament's own secretariat rather than a wing of a government ministry. Its staff serve Parliament as an institution, not the government of the day.
Recruitment and service conditions follow the law Parliament makes under clause (2). This lets the House set its own staffing structure instead of relying on the general civil service rules applied to ministries. This supports independence.
Where Parliament has not legislated, the President may make rules after consulting the Speaker under clause (3). Those rules have effect subject to any law, so an Act of Parliament later prevails over them. The consultation requirement gives the Speaker a voice.
In plain English
How Article 79 works
Article 79 gives Parliament its own secretariat, separate from the ministries of the executive. The secretariat employs the staff who run the House: clerks, reporters, committee officers and administrators. Parliament may make a law on how these staff are recruited and their terms of service. Until it does, the President, after consulting the Speaker, may make rules on recruitment and service conditions, but those rules give way to any law Parliament passes. The aim is to keep the legislature administratively independent of the government it scrutinises.
In practice
Parliament has legislated under clause (2) for its secretariat staff. After the 12th Parliament was dissolved in August 2024, the interim government issued the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat (Interim Special Provisions) Ordinance, 2024. When the 13th Parliament reviewed the interim government's ordinances in 2026, its special committee recommended that this Ordinance be repealed, as reported on 2 April 2026. The secretariat therefore continues to operate under the law made by Parliament.
The text
What Article 79 says
79. (1) Parliament shall have its own secretariat.
(2) Parliament may, by law, regulate the recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to the secretariat of Parliament.
(3) Until provision is made by Parliament the President may, after consultation with the Speaker, make rules regulating the recruitment and condition of service of persons appointed to the secretariat of Parliament, and rules so made shall have effect subject to the provisions of any law.
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 79: frequently asked questions
Who controls the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat?
Article 79 makes it Parliament's own secretariat. Parliament may regulate recruitment and conditions of service by law, and until it does, the President may make rules after consulting the Speaker. Staff are recruited under rules or law made for Parliament rather than for ministries, and Parliament may change that law at any time.
Why does Parliament need its own secretariat?
An independent secretariat helps Parliament scrutinise the executive without relying on ministries for staff, records and committee support. Article 79 secures that independence in the Constitution itself, so it cannot be removed by ordinary law or executive order.
Sources
- Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Article 79 (Laws of Bangladesh)
- Prothom Alo English: Interim govt's 133 ordinances: which are dropped and which remain (2 April 2026)
- The Daily Star: Key reform ordinances left to expire (April 2026)
This guide explains the Constitution for general understanding. It is not legal advice. Constitutional reform proposals under discussion in 2026 are described as proposals until enacted.
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