UNB, Dhaka :The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed the High Court order for granting no objection certificates to 74 overseas jobseekers who had registered with different agencies to travel to civil war-torn Libya.The four member Appellate Division bench, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, gave the orderresponding to a leave-to-appeal filed by the state against the HC order. The Appellate Division has also ordered that the agencies concerned must pay back in 15 days the money taken from the 74 overseas jobseekers with 10 percent interest on the sum. Additional attorney general Murad Reza argued for the state in the hearing while Advocate AM Aminuddin stood for the petitioners. Earlier on September 16, 2015, the Foreign Ministry decided not to grant the no objection certificates to the jobseekers awaiting to travel to Libya considering the situation prevailing in that country due to prolonged civil strife. Later, one Saiful Islam along with 73 other jobseekers who had registered with different agencies for a travel to Labya filed a petition with the High Court for an order to grant them the no objection certificates. On April 3 last, the HC issued an order in favour of the petitioners and asked the Foreign Ministry to provide them with the no objection certificates.The HC in its order observed that if any one aware of the risks is willing to travel to that country, the responsibility of any possible harm will not lie with the government. The Appellate Division on Monday stayed the HC order responding to the state’s leave-to-appeal against the High Court order.Additional attorney general Murad Reza told reporters after the hearing that the Appellate Division has also ordered for the return of the money the 74 overseas jobseekers had already paid to the agencies with a 10 percent interest on the sum.
