Custody Battle: Eriko, Imran, kids to stay together

The High Court yesterday directed the authorities concerned to immediately shift the two Japanese children of Bangladesh-born US citizen Imran Sharif and Japanese national Eriko Nakano to a residence in the capital's Gulshan from the victim support centre in order to ensure their welfare and a family environment for them.

The children -- Nakano Jasmine Malika, 11, and Nakano Laila Lina, 10, -- will stay with both their parents so that they can lead a normal life until further orders, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Md Mostafizur Rahman said.

During the hearing of a writ petition, the HC bench ordered the deputy director concerned of the Directorate of Social Welfare to supervise the issues involved with the children and also asked the commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the Criminal Investigation Department of police to ensure their security.

Both the father and mother will equally bear the expenses of the residence, their living and other relevant issues, the HC said in the order.

The bench fixed September 16 for the next hearing and passing further orders on the issue, Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar told The Daily Star.

Earlier in the day, the bench heard the statements from the parents and their lawyers -- Mohammad Shishir Manir and Fawzia Karim Firoze -- virtually, he said, adding the judges  delivered the order considering the welfare of the children.

The children, who were brought to the DMP victim support centre in Tejgaon on August 22 from their father's custody, were brought to the HC bench yesterday morning in compliance with its August 23 directive, which said the children will remain at the centre, while the parents will have scheduled visitation rights till further orders.

The HC also asked Eriko's lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir and Imran's lawyer Fawzia Karim Firoze to play effective roles to resolve the problems with the children through compromise.

It passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by Eriko and an application submitted by Imran seeking its directive to hand over the children to their own custodies.

On August 19, the same bench directed Imran to produce his daughters before it on August 31, after his wife Eriko moved to Bangladesh and filed a writ petition for custody of their children.

It ordered the officers-in-charge of Adabor and Gulshan police stations to ensure that Imran and his sister Amina Jebin produce the children before the court on that day and to ensure that Imran does not to leave the country with his daughters in the next 30 days.

The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned  and Imran and Amina to explain why they should not be directed to produce the children before the court to ensure they are not confined illegally.

Eriko Nakano, 46, a doctor based in Tokyo, came to Bangladesh on July 18 this year and filed a writ petition with the HC seeking a directive on Imran, 58, to hand over the children to her custody.

She submitted the petition with the court through lawyer Shishir, saying that Imran, who now lives in the Mohammadia Housing Society under the Adabor Police Station in Dhaka or in a Gulshan house, may flee Bangladesh with her daughters.

In the petition, Nakano said she and Imran got married on July 11, 2008, in Japan following Japanese and Muslim traditions.

Imran submitted a divorce notice to a Japanese court on January 18 this year. However, he did not appear before the court on the scheduled dates for the hearing.

On January 21 this year, Imran picked up the daughters from their school in Tokyo and came to Bangladesh on February 21.