The Supreme Court today fixed August 28 for hearing a leave to appeal petition filed by the state challenging the High Court verdict declaring the cabinet committee’s recommendations in the 9th Wage Board illegal.
In the 12 Chapter of the 9th Wage Board, the cabinet committee recommended that journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies themselves will pay their income taxes, they will get only one gratuity in a year, and the decisions of the 9th wage board might be implemented in phases.
For all latest news, follow The My News’s Google News channel. Today, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, sent the state’s leave to appeal petition to its full bench and fixed August 28 for hearing the matter.
Following a writ petition filed by Md Mabubuzzaman, the then secretary of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Emplyees Union, the HC on November 6 last year the HC delivered the verdict.
In the verdict, the HC said, “The impugned recommendation of the cabinet committee placed in chapter 12 of the 9th News Paper Wage Board Award approved by the government and published in the Bangladesh Gazette on September 12, 2019 so far relates to the payment of tax on income of the employees of the newspapers and news agencies by the employees and payment of gratuity equivalent to one month basic salary by the employer/establishment is hereby declared illegal, without lawful authority and is of no legal effect.”
The petitioner is entitled to get the “firings benefits” following the recommendation made by the 9th Newspaper Wage Board published in the notification on September 12, 2019, the HC said in the verdict.
The state filed the leave to appeal petition with the SC recently seeking stay on the HC verdict.
Deputy Attorney General Sk Shaifuzzaman appeared for the state while senior lawyer Kazi Aktar Hamid appeared for the writ petitioner during hearing today.
