The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has ordered the lower court for disposal of an appeal filed by father Imran Sharif against an order that dismissed his case seeking custody and guardianship of his two daughters, within three months.
At the same time, the court has ordered to keep the status quo on the case during this period.
The Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed this order on Thursday.
As a result, Japanese mother Eriko Nakano cannot go abroad with her two children during this period.
Senior lawyer Akhtar Imam stood for the children's father in the court while senior lawyer Ajmalul Hossain on behalf of the mother.
Earlier on January 29, A Dhaka family court gave custody of two children to their mother and Japanese citizen Eriko Nakano.
Later, on February 2, the court allowed Nakano Laila Lina, the second daughter of estranged couple Bangladesh-born US citizen Imran Sharif and Japanese citizen Eriko Nakano, to live one day with her mother and the next day with her father until the matter is finally disposed of by a family court.
In the meantime, their father Imran Sharif appealed to the District Judge Court of Dhaka, challenging the family court verdict.
Later, the Court of District Judge accepted the appeal for hearing.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the case to be resolved within three months.
Eriko Nakano married Bangladesh-born US citizen Imran Sharif in 2008 in Japan. They became parents of three children after that. In 2020, Eriko filed a divorce petition with a Japanese court. Imran after that took two of their daughters with him and came to Bangladesh.
Eriko too came to Bangladesh and filed petition after petition with the apex court for the custody of the two children.
The High Court on August 31, 2021, had ordered Imran Sharif and Nakano Eriko to live at a Gulshan flat together for 15 days with their two daughters. The court had asked the Department of Social Services to look over the matter and the Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police is being asked to ensure the safety of this family.
The court finally came up with its order as the couple failed to reach a consensus on where and with whom their two daughters Makano Jasmine Malika and Makano Laila Lina will live, in spite of repeated instructions from the court.
The Supreme Court, however, on February 13, 2022, said, until the disposal of the case by Dhaka family court, the two children will remain in the custody of their mother, while their father can meet them in the house.
