A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique made the decision on Monday as part of an appeal by Nakano against the High Court decision awarding custody of the children to their father, Bangladeshi national Imran Sharif.
The two kids will remain with their mother until Jan 23 and their father will have the chance to see them, said Advocate Shishir Monir, Nakano’s lawyer, after the hearing. “The court extended the term of its previous decision.”
On Dec 15, the court issued an order granting Nakano custody of the children until Jan 3.
The High Court had previously granted custody of the children to their father, but the Supreme Court turned them over to their mother after he failed to follow instructions from the Appellate Division.
Both parents and their two children were in court for Monday’s hearing.
The court asked Nakano Eriko to file a leave to appeal petition against the High Court decision, Shishir Monir said.
Imran, an American citizen of Bangladeshi descent, married Nakano in 2008. The couple had three children.
Three days after Nakano filed for a divorce in January 2021, Imran picked up his two eldest daughters on their way home from school and flew with them to Bangladesh. The three have been living here since.
Nakano came to Bangladesh from Japan in July to try and regain custody of her children. The legal battle has stretched on for months.
On Nov 21, the High Court decided that Bangladeshi citizen Imran would have custody of the two girls he had brought to Dhaka from Japan. He was, however, required to allow their mother to meet with them in private.
Nakano then challenged the decision at the Supreme Court.
