The High Court on Tuesday stayed the Rangpur Labour Court鈥檚 proceedings initiated against Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and his five colleagues of Grameen Krishi Foundation for allegedly not paying service benefits to a retired employee of the foundation.
The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah granted the stay after hearing a writ petition filed by Grameen Krishi Foundation, of which professor Yunus was the former chairman.
The High Court also asked the government authorities to explain in four weeks why the Rangpur聽 Labour Court鈥檚 order entertaining proceedings in the case filed by Grameen Krishi Foundation senior farm manager (retired) Golam Mostafa in September 2023 would not be declared illegal as being violation of the labour law.
Other accused in the case include the foundation incumbent chairman Noorjahan Begum, acting managing director Shamsud Doha and board members Imamus Sultan, Ratan Kumar Nag and Shajahan.
The foundation鈥檚 lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun told the High Court that Mostafa demanded Tk 9.75 lakh as retirement benefit from the company claiming to be a worker, though he was provided with all the service benefit treating his service as an executive officer.
The labour court鈥檚 case was illegal as an executive cannot file such a case of violation of workers鈥� rights, Mamun argued.聽聽
Yunus, the chairman of Grameen Telecom, has been facing more than 170 cases, most of which are relating to alleged violation of the rights of workers.
He was sentenced to six months in jail by the Third Dhaka Labour Court on January 1 along with his three Grameen Telecom colleagues in a case filed by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments on September 9, 2021, for violating labour law by Grameen Telecom Company.