The Chamber Court of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has stayed till March 6 a portion of a High Court order that asked the government authorities to compile a list of Bangladeshi migrant workers who died and got injured during the construction works of hotels and stadiums in Qatar, since 2010 to 2022 for the last year's FIFA World Cup.
Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Chamber judge of the Appellate Division, passed the order on Wednesday after hearing a petition filed by the state seeking a stay on the HC order.
It also posted the matter to the regular Appellate Division bench for a detailed hearing on it on the same day.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin appeared in the court hearing in support of the state petition, while Barrister Masood R Sobhan who secured an HC order regarding the issue appeared opposing the state petition.
Following a writ petition the High Court on January 30 this year sought a list of Bangladeshi migrant workers who died and got injured during the construction works of hotels and stadiums in Qatar from 2010 to 2022 for the last year's FIFA World Cup.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Embassy of Bangladesh in Qatar and Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in Geneva, Switzerland, have been asked to prepare the list and to submit the list before this court.
The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Masood R Sobhan.
The HC bench also issued a rule asking the concerned bodies of the government to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to collect and assert the names of the workers of Bangladesh who were involved in the construction works in Qatar from 2010 to 2022.
It also wanted to know from the respondents to explain as to why they should not be directed to approach the International Labour Organization (ILO), Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), Ministry of Interior of Qatar and Ministry of Labour of Qatar demanding the proper compensation to the families of Bangladeshi migrant workers.
Lawyer Masood said, “Chamber judge has stayed only directive portion of the HC order till March 6. It didn’t stay the ruling part.”
Masood R Sobhan filed the writ petition in December last year saying that at least 450 Bangladeshi migrant workers reportedly died while constructing hotels and stadiums in Qatar between 2010 and 2022 in preparation for the world cup.
In the petition, he said the migrant workers from Bangladesh were treated inhumanely in Qatar.
