Trial against Dr Yunus to continue in labour court: SC
Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday rejected two leave to appeal petitions filed by Nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus and another one against a High Court ruling that cleared the way for a Labour Court to continue its proceedings of a case filed against them.
A three-member Bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Nuruzzaman passed the order after hearing the petitions.
Now there is no legal bar for the Labour Court to continue its proceedings against Prof Muhammad Yunus and others, said concerned lawyers.
Earlier on August 17 in 2022, the High Court discharged a petition that sought scrapping of the trial proceedings of the case filed against
Prof Yunus and three others. Later, Prof Yunus and one another filed two leave to appeal petitions against the High Court order.
The Appellate Division on April 3 this year concluded the hearing on two leave to appeal petitions and fixed May 8 for passing order on the matter.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun appeared in the court hearing on behalf of Prof Yunus, while Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) who filed the case, and Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state.
Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan said, that the apex court has rejected leave to appeal petitions filed by Prof Yunus and another one. Now there is legal for the Labour Court to continue its proceedings against Prof Yunus, also said the lawyer.
Inspector of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, Arifuzzaman, filed the case with Dhaka 3rd Labour Court on 9 September in 2021 against four people including Prof Yunus for allegedly violating the labour law.
The other accused in the case are- Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, Directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.
After hearing the case, the Labour Court had also summoned the four to appear before it on October 12 in 2021. Later, the Labour Court granted bail to Dr Yunus in the case on that day.
According to the case documents, a team of DIFE went on an inspection to Grameen Telecom and found the violations of labour laws like not regularising 101 staff, not establishing a welfare fund for the labourers, among others.
