The Appellate Division on Sunday upheld a High Court verdict for clearing way for the Dhaka Labour Court 3 to resume trial of Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus in a labour law violation case against him.

A four-judge bench chaired by the chief justice dismissed a petition filed by Yunus seeking permission to appeal against the High Court verdict.

The Appellate Division earlier rejected Yunus’ prayer twice against the labour court proceeding.

The Appellate Division verdict paved the way for the way for chairman of Dhaka Labour Court 3 to record depositions of prosecution witnesses in the case on August 22, Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments’ lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told New Age.

The department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments inspector SM Arifuzzaman filed the case against Yunus, three others with the labour court on September 9, 2021.

The High Court further observed that Grameen Telecom, of which Yunus is chairman, admitted that there was infringement of some labour rights related provisions of the Labour Law.

Yunus and the three were accused of not regularising jobs of apprentice workers for Grameen Telecom, not establishing the Workers’ Welfare Fund and not depositing five per cent of total profits in the fund, not granting annual leaves and earned leaves, and not paying wages to the workers against denial of their leaves.

The other accused are Grameen Telecom managing director Ashraful Hassan and directors Nurjahan Begum and Md Shahjahan.