Dhaka, Aug 12 (bdnews24.com)—The appeals court on Wednesday upheld a travel bar on Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, just two hours after the High Court declared the government's refusal to allow him to board an overseas flight "illegal".
Immigration officers at Zia International Airport stopped Sayeedi from boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia on July 24. Sayeedi filed a petition on July 27 challenging the government's actions.
On Aug 2, the High Court had asked the government to explain why its refusal to allow Sayeedi to travel abroad should not be declared illegal.
On Wednesday, a High Court bench of justices Tariq-ul-Hakim and Borhan Uddin ruled the government's actions illegal.
Following the ruling at around noon, barrister Abdur Razzaque, counsel for Sayeedi, told reporters that justice had prevailed and the judgement showed that the state could not interfere in the constitutional rights of a citizen without legal precedent.
The government, however, immediately petitioned the Appellate Division for a stay on the High Court judgement.
Appellate Division chamber justice Md Mozammel Hossain stayed the High Court ruling at around 2:30pm.
A full hearing on the government's petition will take place on Aug 18.
Attorney general Mahbubey Alam stood for the government in the High Court hearing.
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