Yunus gets bail till August 14

The Labour Appellate Tribunal (LAT) in Dhaka has extended the term of bail, granted to four top officials of Grameen Telecom including its Chairman Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, until August 14 - in a case filed on charge of violating the labour law.
At the same time, the tribunal has adjourned until the same date the hearing on the appeal petition, filed by Grameen Telecom officials against the verdict that awarded them six months' jail sentence in the case.
LAT Acting Chairman Md Abdul Awal passed the order after hearing from the parties on Thursday.
Earlier on the day, lawyers of Prof Yunus and three other Grameen Telecom officials placed a petition, seeking bail until disposal of the appeal.
At the same time, they placed another petition in the court, saying that they would move to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against a verdict of the High Court, delivered on conviction of the accused of the case. So they need time.
Upon hearing on the prayers, the LAT adjourned the case hearing until August 14.
The other accused in the case are - Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, and directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.
In a reaction, Prof Yunus said, "Today we feel comfortable, as there is no iron cage in the courtroom. I am seeking your (journalists') attention to the iron cage in the courtrooms. It should be removed from the courts forever."
In reply to a query, he said, "There is nothing to hold a debate with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. All that she said in her speech was allegations against me. So allegations are subject to investigation, not to hold debate on these."
On June 25, the Prime Minister invited Prof Yunus to join a debate with her.
Md Arifuzzaman, Inspector of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), filed the case with the Dhaka Third Labour Court on 9 September 2021 against four people, including Prof Yunus, on charge of violating the labour law

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