Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus sentenced to 6 months in jail by Bangladesh court

Dr Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's Nobel laureate economist, was on Monday sentenced to six months in jail by a court on charges of violating the labour laws. The development was termed as 'politically motivated' by his supporters ahead of the general elections.

The 83-year-old economist won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty campaign, earning Bangladesh the reputation of being the home of microcredit through his Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983. Yunus and three of his colleagues in Grameen Telecom-- one of the firms he founded-- were accused of violating labour laws when they failed to create a workers' welfare fund in the company.

The Third Labour Court Judge Sheikh Merina Sultana ordered Yunus to serve six months of simple or non-rigorous imprisonment for violating the law as the Grameen Telecom chairman, along with three other executives of the social business company.