Lawmakers who want to take oath in mother tongue should give notice 3 days in advance

Kathmandu. The newly elected members of the House of Representatives can also take oath in their mother tongues. For this, the Parliament Secretariat should be informed three days before the language in which the oath of office and secrecy is to be taken, said Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, Ek Ram Giri. The swearing-in of the newly elected members of the House of Representatives will take place on March 26.

The senior-most members of the House of Representatives will take oath of office and secrecy from the President on March 24. The senior-most member then administers the oath to the remaining members.

Section 5 of the Oath of Office 2079 has a provision regarding the language of the oath. It states, “While taking oath or administering oath, the official work shall be done or caused to be done in the Nepali language.” ’

In addition, a person holding public office can take oath in his/her mother tongue spoken in Nepal.

“If such oath is to be taken in the mother tongue, the oath shall have to be translated into one’s mother tongue and certified by oneself and submitted to the official administering the oath of office before taking oath,” reads sub-section 2 of Section 5.

As per the provision, a person holding a public office should have to sign two images of the oath taken in Nepali language and two images of the oath taken in the mother tongue and submit it to the office bearers administering the oath. Lawmakers will be allowed to wear dress that reflects their identity during the oath of office.

Section 4 of the swearing-in Act provides for the presence of the party in formal dress. It states, “A person holding public office shall be present in the official dress prescribed by the Government of Nepal while taking oath or administering oath.” ’

According to the clause of the same Section, an official taking oath or administering oath of office can take or cause to be administered oath by wearing dignified attire or attire reflecting his/her culture and tradition or identity.