The Supreme Court today asked the High Court to dispose in two weeks the rule that questioned the labour court order framing charges against Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and three other officials of Grameen Telecom in a case filed over labour law violation.
The apex court said the HC bench led by Justice SM Kuddus Zaman will hold a hearing of the rule for its disposal in two weeks.
A full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after disposing of two separate petitions filed by the state and the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department challenging the HC rule.
Senior Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan, the lawyer for Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department, told The Daily Star that following today's order, his client will not take any step for proceeding with the case against Prof Yunus and others at the trial court until disposal of the HC rule.
Attorney General AM Amin Uddin appeared for the state while Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun argued for Prof Yunus during hearing today.
Following a petition filed by Prof Yunus, an HC bench led by Justice Md Ruhul Quddus on July 23 issued the rule asking the state to explain why the labour court order that framed charges against him and three others of Grameen Telecom in the case should not be scrapped.
Sheikh Merina Sultana, chairman of the Third Labour Court of Dhaka, on June 6 framed charges against Prof Yunus and others.
Prof Yunus is the chairman of Grameen Telecom while accused Ashraful Hasan is the managing director and Nur Jahan Begum and Mohammad Shahjahan are directors.
On June 6, the labour court exempted Prof Yunus from personal appearance during the trial.
On September 9, 2021, SM Arifuzzaman, a labour inspector (general) of the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department, filed the case with the court.
The court on October 12, 2021 granted bail to the Nobel laureate and others accused in the case.
