The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today ruled that Japanese Citizen Nakano Eriko cannot take her two daughters -- Jasmine Malaika, 12, and Nakano Laila Lina, 10 -- abroad until further order.
Jasmine Malaika is now with her mother Eriko and Laila Lina is now with her father Imran Sharif, a Bangladesh-born US citizen.
The Appellate Division admonish Eriko for trying to take the children out of Bangladesh without permission from the court despite its earlier order.
It said that she must not try further to take the two children out of Bangladesh without permission from the court concerned.
At one stage of hearing four separate petitions, the SC said both parties (Eriko and Imran) are desperate.
The apex court also asked the lower court concerned in Dhaka to dispose of in next three months the appeal filed by Eriko's ex-husband Imran challenging the family court verdict.
The Appellate Division also directed Eriko and Imran to maintain staus quo over keeping the children in their custody. It means that Jasmine Malaika will stay with her mother Eriko and Laila Lina will stay with her father Imran until further order.
The family court on January 29 this year granted Eriko custody of her two children.
Today, a seven-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after hearing four separate petitions filed by Eriko and Imran seeking different directives.
In two petitions, Eriko prayed to the SC to reconsider its previous directives that ordered her not to take the children out of Bangladesh without permission from this court.
In another, she brought contempt of court charges against her ex-husband, saying Imran took her daughter Laila Lina in violation of the apex court order.
Meanwhile, Imran Sharif filed a contempt of court petition against Eriko, saying that she tried to leave Bangladesh with the two children violating its directive.
Senior lawyer Ajmalul Hossain accompanied by lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir appeared for Eriko while senior lawyer Akhter Imam accompanied by Rashna Imam argued for Imran during the hearing.
