The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld five High Court orders which stayed the trial proceedings of five cases filed against Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus on charges of sacking employees of Grameen Communications.
A three-member virtual bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Muhammad Imman Ali passed the order after hearing five petitions filed by the government against the High Court orders.
Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan took part in the hearing on behalf of Dr Muhammad Yunus, while Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta represented the state.
The High Court on March 04 this year issued rule over cancellation of the cases filed against him and stayed the trial proceedings of those cases.
On July 03 last year five employees of Grameen Communications -- Abdus Salam, Shah Alam, Emranul Haque, Hossain Ahmed and Abdul Gofur -- filed five cases against Dr Yunus and two others with the labour Court on charges of terminating them from the company.
They alleged that they were terminated 'illegally' in June last year for their roles in forming a trade union at their workplace.
The two other Grameen Communications officials, who were made accused in the cases, are Managing Director Naznin Sultana and Deputy General Manager Khandaker Abu Abedin.
After hearing on three cases, the labour court on July 10 last year asked the trio to appear before it on October 08, which turned out to be a holiday. As a result, the day's proceedings continued on October 09.
On October 09, the chairman of 3rd Labour Court of Dhaka issued an arrest warrant for Dr Yunus in connection with the three cases as he could not appear before the court due to his foreign trip and he was asked to appear in the labour court on November 05 in two other cases.
Meanwhile, Dr Yunus' brother, Dr Muhammad Ibrahim, filed a writ petition with the High Court. After hearing, the High Court on October 28 last year ordered the law enforcing agencies not to harass or not to arrest Dr Yunus till November 07 in three cases.
At the same time, the court asked Dr Yunus, chairman of Grameen Communications, to surrender in the trial court at any convenient time by November 07.
The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order after hearing the writ petition.
Later Dr Yunus surrendered in the labour court on November 03 last year and secured bail in all five cases filed against him.
After securing bail in the cases, he filed quashment petitions with the High Court on March 04 this year seeking cancellation of the cases against him. The High Court then issued rule over cancellation of the cases and stayed the trial proceedings of those cases.
The government then filed appeal petitions against the High Court orders. The apex court passed order Monday on those petitions filed by the government.
At the same time the apex court asked the High Court bench concerned to dispose of the cases speedily, said Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan.
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