Yunus not being provided with court documents despite repeated requests: lawyer
Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus's lawyer today said the labour court, which convicted and sentenced his client to jail, has not provided the relevant documents despite repeated requests.
Speaking on the Supreme Court premises, lawyer Abdullah-Al-Mamun said the papers were needed to file an appeal against the verdict, and not providing those was a form of harassment, and that Yunus was being deprived of his fundamental rights.
"We have applied to the Third Labour Court of Dhaka for the papers containing the statements of witnesses and cross examinations on which the court has delivered the verdict against Muhammad Yunus and three others on January 1. The papers are very much needed for filing appeal with the Labour Appellate Tribunal against the Third Labour Court verdict. Our lawyer requested the court officials every day for the required documents. But they are not giving those documents saying that either the judge, or the registrar or serestadar of the court are absent," he said.
The lawyer said under Section 217 of the Labour Act, Muhammad Yunus is supposed to get 60 days for filing the appeal challenging the labour court verdict.
However, the labour court gave Yunus and three others 30 days for filing the appeal, which is a breach of the law, he said, adding that the fundamental rights of Muhammad Yunus and others have been damaged.
The lawyer said everyone is equal in the eyes of law and has a right to get protection of the law under the constitution of the country, but Muhammad Yunus has been deprived of his constitutional rights.
Replying to a query, the lawyer said, "An appeal will be filed on behalf of Muhammad Yunus and others with the Labour Appellate Tribunal against the Third Labour Court by February 1 in compliance with the verdict, though we are in a very difficult situation as we could not receive the relevant papers from the trial court concerned."
The Labour Court concerned can give the documents within one or two hours if it is sincere, he said, adding the whole world and human rights organisations are eagerly witnessing what is happening with Prof Yunus.
On January 1, the Third Labour Court of Dhaka sentenced Muhammad Yunus and three other top officials of Grameen Telecom to six months in jail in a case filed by the government over labour law violations.
Yunus is the chairman of Grameen Telecom, while the three others are its directors Ashraful Hassan, Nurjahan Begum and M Shahjahan.
Soon after the verdict, the same court granted bail to all four for a month, following separate bail pleas.
The four were also fined Tk 30,000 each, in default of which they would have to serve 25 more days in prison.
Further, the court directed them to comply with the relevant sections of the Labour Act, 2006, within a month.