The High Court has ordered that the government should not arrest or harass Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus until November 7 in three cases filed for sacking as many employees of Grameen Communications he heads as its chairman.
The bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman, however, asked Dr Yunus, to surrender before the court concerned, which had recently issued an arrest order against him, at any convenient time by November 7.
The orders follow a writ petition which the Nobel Laureate had filed by his brother Dr Md Ibrahim seeking necessary order after the arrest warrant had triggered fears that he could be arrested on returning home from abroad.
This order means that Dr Yunus now can return home from abroad and surrender to the court unhindered, according to local media reports.
Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud represented the writ petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Saifuddin Khalek stood for the government.
Earlier on July 9, three junior MIS officers of Grameen Communications -- Abdus Salam, Shah Alam and Emranul Haque -- filed as many cases with a labour court against Dr Yunus and two others of the same company on charges of dismissing them in June for their role in forming a workplace trade union.
The next day on July 10, the court asked the accused to appear before it on October 8, and as that appearance day turned out to be a holiday, the court held its proceedings the following day on October 9.
Except for Dr Yunus, two other accused -- Grameen Communications' Managing Director Naznin Sultana and Deputy General Manager Khandaker Abu Abedin -- appeared before the court obeying the summons and secured bail in the cases.
But, as Dr Yunus had not turned up, the labour court issued the arrest warrant against him.
Explaining the Nobel Laureate's failure to entertain the summons, his counsel Raju Ahmmed had told the court that his client was abroad on business and would appear in court on his return.
Grameen Communications is an organisation under the Grameen Trust.
