An application has been filed seeking a stay on the High Court verdict ordering Grameen Kalyan, an entity owned by Dr Muhammad Yunus, to pay Tk666 crore in tax arrears claimed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
The application was filed on Monday with the Chamber Judge Court of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
On September 10, the High Court ruled that Grameen Kalyan must pay Tk666 crore in taxes claimed by the NBR.
A High Court bench led by Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah delivered the verdict after dismissing a rule issued in response to a writ petition challenging the tax demand.
Barristers Abdullah Al Mamun and Fida M Kamal represented Dr Yunus in court.
Earlier, following the July mass uprising, the High Court had withdrawn, on its own initiative, a verdict ordering Grameen Kalyan to pay the Tk666 crore claimed by the NBR.
The withdrawal order was issued by a bench comprising Justice Mohammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir. The case records were subsequently sent to the chief justice.
The case was later referred to a new bench for hearing.
Grameen Kalyan had filed two separate writ petitions in 2017 challenging tax demands for the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 fiscal years following a reassessment.
The court initially issued a rule after a preliminary hearing. A later High Court bench dismissed the rule, effectively upholding the NBR's tax demands.
Lawyers said the dismissal of the writ petitions means the NBR can now collect the amount from Grameen Kalyan as income tax.