SC adjourns appeal hearing for 2 weeks

The Appellate Division Tuesday adjourned for two weeks the hearing on the petitions against the High Court (HC) orders that had summarily dismissed the writ petitions affirming the removal of Prof Muhammad Yunus as managing director (MD) of Grameen Bank (GB), a microfinance institution, reports UNB. The six-member Appellate Division Bench of the Supreme Court (SC), chaired by Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque, passed the order as petitioners" counsel Dr Kamal Hossain stated that they did not get the HC orders. While making submission Dr Kamal told the court that the HC had made discrimination without issuing rule upon the government and the Bangladesh Bank (BB) after a three-day hearing on the writ petitions. Nobel Laureate Prof Yunus and nine other members of the board of directors of the GB separately filed the petitions seeking stay on the operation of the March 8 HC orders as they prefer leave to appeal against it. On March 2, the BB removed Prof Yunus from the GB on charges of violating a Special Ordinance governing the bank that set a retirement age of 60 for the managing director. A day after receiving the removal order, he filed a writ petition challenging the validity of his removal order and lost in the legal battle. Prof Yunus along with his lawyers Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and Advocate Mahmudul Islam were present in the court, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam appeared for the state. Another AFP report adds: The sacking of Bangladesh"s Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus from the Grameen Bank he founded could cause the microfinance institution to collapse, his lawyers told the country"s Supreme Court Tuesday.