Court Correspondent :
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday directed the authorities to reinstate 140 physicians of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) whose appointment was earlier declared illegal by the High Court.
However, the HC says in its judgement that the period in which the doctors were not in service will be considered as leave without pay. A five-member Bench of the Appellate Division headed by the Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced the verdict in response to five appeals and two leave to appeal petitions filed by the doctors challenging the High Court order.
Senior lawyers Dr Kamal Hossain, Barrister M Amir Ul Islam and Kamrul Haque Siddiqui moved the case for the physicians, whereas Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Advocate Tanjib Ul Alam stood for BSMMU.
According to the case documents, these physicians were in service from December, 2005 to January, 2006. Swadhinota Chikitsok Parishad incumbent President Dr Iqbal Arslan later filed an appeal, challenging the appointment of these doctors.
The High Court on December 14, 2010, declared their appointment illegal, allowing the doctors to file a leave to appeal petition.
On September 4, 2016, the Appellate Division allowed the doctors to appeal against the High Court verdict and the doctors filed the five appeals.
