February 5, 2024
DHAKA – Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) today filed a petition with the High Court challenging the Labour Appellate Tribunal’s order that stayed the conviction and sentence of Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus and three others in a labour law violation case.
Tariqul Islam, an inspector under the DIFE, who investigated the case, submitted the criminal revision petition to the HC through its lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan.
In the petition, he prayed to the HC to pass an order to prevent Prof Yunus and three others from going abroad without permission from the court concerned until their appeals are disposed of by the Labour Appellate Tribunal, Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.
Citing the petition, he said an appellate court cannot stay the conviction and sentence delivered by a trial court to any convict under the relevant rules of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The appellate court can stay the order of only fine, he also said, adding that the HC bench led by Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder may hold hearing on the revision petition tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Dr Yunus’ lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun told The Daily Star that a revision petition has been filed in order to harass Prof Yunus and three others.
Prof Yunus, who is an internationally important personality, has to go abroad to attend seminars which brings dignity to the country, he said.
Stopping him from going abroad will damage the country’s honour, he said.
On January 1, Sheikh Merina Sultana, chairman of the Third Labour Court of Dhaka, sentenced Yunus, chairman of Grameen Telecom, and its directors Ashraful Hassan, Nurjahan Begum and M Shahjahan to six months in jail in a case.
Soon after the verdict, the court granted bail to all four for a month, following separate bail pleas.