The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) has stayed for two months the trial proceedings of a case filed against Grameen Telecom chairman Nobel laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others on charge of violating labour law.
The apex court also asked the High Court to hear and dispose of the rule issued in this regard within two months.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Nuruzzaman on Monday passed the order following two leave to appeal petitions filed by the state.
Following two criminal petitions the High Court on December 12 in 2021 stayed for six months the trial proceedings of the case regarding Grameen Telecom chairman Professor Muhammad Yunus and director Nurjahan Begum.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Habibul Gani and Justice Md Riaz Uddin Khan also issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain as to why they should not be directed to scrap the trial proceedings of the case filed against them on charge of violating labour law.
Later the state filed two leave to appeal petitions against the High Court order that stayed for six months the trial proceedings of the case and issued a rule. After hearing the petitions the apex court on Monday passed the order.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun appeared in the court hearing on behalf of Professor Yunus, while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state.
Later Mr Abdullah Al Mamun said the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) filed the case against four people including Dr Muhammad Yunus for allegedly violating labour law.
The other accused in the case are- Grameen Telecom managing director Ashraful Hassan, directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.
DIFE inspector Arifuzzaman filed the case with Dhaka 3rd Labour Court on 9 September in 2021.
After hearing the case, the court had also issued summons to the four to appear before it on October 12 in 2021. Later a labour court in Dhaka on October 12 last year granted bail to Dr Yunus in the case.
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.
Later all the four accused in the case filed separate petitions with the High Court to stop the trial proceedings against them. Upon hearing the same, High Court bench passed same order only for Professor Muhammad Yunus and Nurjahan Begum.
