The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Labour Court not to frame charge until March 27 this year in the case filed against Nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others on charge of violating the labour law.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Justice Md Nuruzzaman, passed the order after hearing an appeal petition filed by Dr Yunus against the High Court order that earlier cleared the way for the Labour Court to continue its proceedings.
The apex court at the same time fixed the date for hearing on the appeal petition.
Earlier on August 17, 2022, the High Court discharged a rule that asked the government to explain as to why they should not be directed to scrap the trial proceedings of the case filed against Grameen Telecom Chairman Prof Yunus and three others.
The High Court bench of Justice SM Kuddus Zaman and Justice Fahmida Quader passed the order after hearing the rule.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun appeared in the case 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.
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 Muhamamd 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.
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