The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday set August 29 for holding hearing on a plea filed by Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, challenging a High Court order that cleared way for labour court proceedings against him.
Justice M Enayetur Rahim of Appellate Division Chamber Judge Court passed the order today. Dr Yunus filed the plea on August 23.
Earlier on August 17, the High Court discharged a rule, which had issued last year, staying proceedings of a case against Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others for allegedly violating labour laws.
“Because of today’s order, now there is no legal bar in continuing the proceedings of the case at the concerned labour court,” Advocate Md Khurshid Alam Khan, lawyer for the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), said on that day.
A High Court division bench comprising Justice S M Kuddus Zaman and Justice Fahmida Quader passed the order, after holding a hearing on the rule issued on December 12, 2021.
The High Court through its last order had stayed the proceedings of the case for six months. Later, the State appealed against it with the Appellate Division. After holding a hearing on the appeal, the apex court on June 13 had passed an order, asking to dispose of the matter within two months.
DIFE Inspector Arifuzzaman filed the case against Dr Yunus and three others on September 9, 2021, and the court had summoned the four to appear before it by October 12. The other three accused in the case are-- Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hasan, Board Directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.
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, not establishing a welfare fund for the labourers, among others.