Nakano Eriko, the Japanese mother who has been in Bangladesh seeking custody of two children, has received temporary custody rights after their father, Imran Sharif, failed to meet an obligation specified by a court.
A five-member appellate bench granted her custody of the children until Jan 3 in a decision on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.
The order said that she must ensure that the children go to school during this period and that Imran is able to visit them between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm at his convenience.
The children have been with their mother since Monday following a previous decision by the Supreme Court.
Imran, an American citizen of Bangladeshi descent, married Nakano in 2008. The couple had three children.
Three days after Nakano filed for divorce in January this year, Imran picked up his two eldest daughters on their way home from school and flew with them to Bangladesh. The three have been living here since.
Nakano came to Bangladesh from Japan in July to try and regain custody of her children. The legal battle has stretched on for months.
On Nov 21, the High Court decided that Bangladeshi citizen Imran would have custody of the two girls he had brought to Dhaka from Japan. He was, however, required to allow their mother to meet with them in private.
Nakano challenged the decision, taking the matter to the Appellate Division.
The Supreme Court then awarded her custody of the children on Sunday. When Imran failed to follow the order, the judges expressed their dissatisfaction.
The court then brought the children before them and spoke to them on Monday. They then ordered that they be turned over to their mother.
The Appellate Division then extended Nakano’s custody of the children until Jan 3 on Wednesday.