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A counsel for Nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus on Monday told the High Court that the United Nations is observing the proceedings of the case filed against him on charge of violating the labour law, as he is one of the advisors to the UN Secretary General.
Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, a counsel for Prof Yunus, said this during the hearing on a rule that questioned the legality of charge framing against the Nobel laureate, also chairman of Grameen Telecom, and three others in the case.
In the HC the lawyer said, “Your court is holding hearing a case of a person who is one of the most respected persons in the world today, Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus. The government also feels that he can change the decisions of the government and the World Bank. The UN also monitoring the proceedings of the case as Prof Yunus is one of the advisors to the UN Secretary General.”
The High Court bench of Justice S M Kuddus Zaman and Justice Shahed Nuruddin held the hearing. The HC bench will further hear the case on Tuesday (August 8).
Earlier on August 3, the apex court sent the matter to the High Court bench headed by Justice S M Kuddus Zaman for disposing of the rule within two weeks.
On June 6, Judge of the Third Labour Court in Dhaka, Sheikh Merina Sultana, framed charge against Prof Yunus and three others in the case filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).
The other accused in the case are- Grameen Telecom Managing Director Ashraful Hassan, Directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.
Following a petition, the High Court bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das on July 23 issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain in two weeks as to why charge framing order against Prof Yunus
and three others in the case should not be scrapped.
Later the state filed a petition with the Appellate Division seeking a stay on the High Court order. After hearing the state petition, the apex court changed the rule-issuing bench and sent it to a new bench for disposing of the matter.
Inspector of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, Arifuzzaman, filed the case with Dhaka 3rd Labour Court on 9 September, 2021 against four people including Prof Yunus.
According to the case documents, DIFE inspectors, in an inspection visit to Grameen Telecom, found evidence of labour law violations like not regularising 101 staff, not establishing a welfare fund for the labourers, among others.
Besides, 5 per cent of the company's dividends was supposed to be paid to the workers’ participation fund but it was not paid, also read the case statement.
After hearing the case, the Labour Court also summoned the four to appear before it on October 12 in 2021. Later, the Labour Court granted bail to Prof Yunus in the case on that day.