SC clears way for labour court proceedings against Dr Yunus

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has dismissed a leave to appeal petition filed by Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus challenging a High Court verdict that rejected his petition against labour court’s indictment order.

An Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order on Sunday paving the way for the Labour Court to continue its proceedings.

On August 8, a High Court Division comprising Justice SM Quddus Zaman and Justice Shahed Noor Uddin rejected the rule. Lawyer of the defendant Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun made a plea against the order to the Appellate Division.

Earlier on July 23 this year, a High Court bench issued the rule asking the state to explain why the labour court order that framed charges against Dr Yunus and three others should not be scrapped, followed by an application submitted on May 19 by the noble laureate.

On June 6, charges were framed against them four.

Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) Inspector Arifuzzaman filed the case against Dr Yunus, Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hasan, Board Directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan on September 9, 2021, and the court had summoned the four to appear before it by October 12, 2021.

According to the case documents, a team of the DIFE went on an inspection to the Grameen Telecom and found the violations of labour laws like not regularizing 101 staff and not establishing a welfare fund for the laborers, among others.