HC clears way to continue trial against Prof Yunus

Staff Reporter  :
The High Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the trial court concerned to continue its proceedings of a case filed against nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, also chairman of Grameen Telecom, and three others on charge of violating the labour law.

The High Court has discharged a rule that questioned the legality of indictment of Prof Yunus and three others in the case.

The High Court bench of Justice S M Kuddus Zaman and Justice Shahed Nuruddin passed the order after hearing the rule.

Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun took part in the hearing on behalf of Prof Yunus and three others, while Deputy Attorney General Sujit Chatterjee Bappi represented the state. Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).

Barrister Mamun said they will file appeal petition against the High Court order.

Following a petition the High Court bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das on July 23 issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain in two weeks as to why charge framing order against Prof Yunus
and three others in the case should not be scrapped.

Later the state filed a petition with the Appellate Division seeking a stay on the High Court order. After hearing the state petition, the apex court changed the rule issuing bench and sent to a new bench for disposing of the matter in two weeks.

On June 6, Judge of the Third Labour Court in Dhaka, Sheikh Merina Sultana, framed charge against Prof Yunus and three others in the case filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).

The other accused in the case are- Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, Directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.

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.

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 regularizing 101 staff, not establishing a welfare fund for the labourers, among others.

Besides, 5 percent of the company’s dividends was supposed to be paid to the workers participation fund but it was not paid, also read the case statement.

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 Prof Yunus in the case on that day.