The High Court has directed the Japanese woman Nakano Erico and her ex-husband, Bangladeshi-origin American Sharif Imran, to stay with two of their daughters for the next 15 days at their Gulshan home.
The court had previously sent them to Tejgaon Victim Support Centre amid a legal battle over their custody.
The deputy director of the Department of Social Services in Dhaka has been directed to monitor their situation and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner was asked to ensure the safety of their families.
After hearing both the parties on Tuesday, the virtual High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman issued the order, reports the media.
The father, Sharif Imran, proposed that all of them stay at a rented flat at Gulshan and the court granted the appeal. The expenses will be equally divided between the parents.
The High Court also set September 16 as the next date for hearing in the case.
Advocate Fawzia Karim Firoz stood for the father, Sharif Imran, in court, while Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir stood for the plaintiff, Nakano Eriko. Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar was present at the hearing on behalf of the state.
On August 19, Japanese citizen Nakano Eriko, 46, filed the petition with the High Court seeking its directives to get back her two daughters – Jasmine Malika, 11, and Laila Lina, 10 – from their Bangladeshi father Sharif Imran.
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The court then asked the authorities to present the two children in court on August 31. It also asked Imran not to leave the country with his daughters for the next one month.
On August 22, a team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police took both the children into their custody after the mother filed a fresh case against the father for torturing the children.
On August 23, Advocate Fawzia Karim, counsel for Imran, drew the attention of the court about the matter. The High Court then asked the authorities concerned to keep the two children at the Tejgaon Victim Support Centre in a good environment until August 31.
During this period, their mother could visit them between 8 am and 1pm and their father could visit them between 3pm and 8pm.
Advocate Mohammad Sishir Monir, Eriko’s counsel, earlier said: “Eriko, a physician by profession, filed a petition seeking custody of her two children. Eriko and Imran tied the knot on July 11, 2008, according to the law of Japan. They used to live in Tokyo and the couple were blessed with three daughters.
“Three daughters of the couple aged 11, 10, and seven were studying at a school in Tokyo. On January 18, Imran appealed for divorce, and on January 21, he filed an appeal to the school authorities for permission to take one of his daughters but they refused to allow him to do so following objections from Eriko.”
Later, Imran picked up the other two daughters from the school bus and took them to a rented building on February 21. He returned to Bangladesh with them.
On May 31, a court in Tokyo handed over custody of the two daughters to Eriko.
On July 18, Eriko came to Bangladesh to meet her daughters.
