Shawdesh Desk:

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will pass its order on Tuesday on state plea against High Court order that imposed status quo on publishing gazette notification for implementing the recommendations of ninth wage board for journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies.

‘Order tomorrow,’ said a four-member apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder on Monday moved the state plea to stay the August 6 High Court order. Advocate AF Hasan Arif stood for daily Prothom Alo editor, publisher and president of Newspapers Owners Association of Bangladesh Matiur Rahman.

Earlier on August 14, Justice Md Nuruzzaman of Appellate Division Chamber Court sent the state petition, which pleaded to stay the High Court order, to apex court regular bench for hearing on today.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukdar appeared for the state, while Advocate Hasan Ariff appeared for the NOAB president and daily Prothom Alo editor and publisher Matiur Rahman.

Terming the initial writ against publishing gazette notification for implementing the recommendations of ninth wage board, pre-matured, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the petitioner filed the writ as he does not want to pay the salary to journalists properly.

‘The government is like an umpire here. It would consider interests of both journalists and newspaper owners,’ he said.

‘Without journalists, the owners of newspapers do not have any existence,’ the court observed at the time.