High Court questions legality of letter vacating nine Grameen Bank director posts

The High Court has asked why the finance ministry letter vacating the posts of nine elected directors of Grameen Bank should not be declared illegal.

The bench of justices Farah Mahbub and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo issued the rule after hearing a writ petition on Wednesday.
 
The finance secretary and the Grameen Bank were asked to respond to the rule within 10 days.
 
Barristers Mustafizur Rahman Khan and Tanim Hossain Shawon moved the plea for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim argued for the state at the hearing.
 
The finance ministry sent a letter to the chairman of the Nobel-winning microcredit organisation on Mar 30 saying that their term expired on Feb 7 and so the posts were vacant.
 
One of the directors, Tahsina Khatun, filed the appeal challenging the legality of the letter on Apr 6.
 
After the High Court orders, Khatun’s lawyer Rahman said elected directors of the bank could hold the offices until the schedule of the next election was announced.
 
He referred to the Grameen Bank (Election of Directors) Rules 2014 to back up his argument.
 
“But the institution of a commission for the election and the announcement of the schedule are yet to take place. The letter claiming that their posts have been vacant is not lawful,” he said.
 
Nine of the 12 members of Grameen Bank Board of Directors are elected from borrowers every three years.
 
The government appoints the three other directors, one of whom becomes the chairman.