Shawdesh Desk:

The High Court (HC) has asked Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus to surrender before the trial court by November 7 in three cases filed on charge of sacking three employees of Grameen Communications.

The HC has also asked the law enforcers not to detain or harass him until this time after he lands at the Dhaka airport.

The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman passed the order on Monday.

Earlier, Dr Yunus’s brother Dr Md Ibrahim filed a writ petition seeking necessary order in this regard.

Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud appeared for the writ petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Saifuddin Khalek represented the government.

The court passed the order so that Dr Yunus can return to the country from abroad and surrender to the trial court in the cases without any hindrance.

The High Court on October 14 stayed until October 25 a lower court order that had issued an arrest warrant for Yunus in three cases filed over sacking three employees of Grameen Communications.

Earlier on July 3, three employees of Grameen Communications filed the cases against Yunus and two others at the Labour Court.

According to case statements, the trio was sacked for trying to form a trade union at their workplace.

The court ordered the defendants to appear before it on October 8. Two of the accused – Naznin Sultana, Managing Director, and Khandakar Abu Abedin, Deputy Managing Director, of Grameen Communications – secured bail after appearing before the court.

On October 9, the Dhaka Labour Court issued arrest warrant for Dr Yunus as he did not appear before it responding to its previous order.