Bangladesh Court Rejects Bail Plea Of Monk Chinmoy Krishna Das On Sedition Charges

A Bangladesh court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu priest and spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote, also associated with ISKCON. He was charged and jailed by the local authorities on charges of sedition.

As per the media reports, Sessions Judge Md. Saiful Islam, passed the order citing that Chinmoy did not have a lawyer’s letter of attorney on his behalf.

The petition, which will be held on January 2 next year now, stated that Das has been suffering from multiple ailments including diabetes and respiratory issues. It further adds that Das has been arrested in a false and fabricated case. The petition also stated that Chinmoy’s lawyer Subhashish Sharma was not able to attend the hearing on December 3 due to security reasons.

Public prosecutor PP Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan stated that the lawyer Rabindra Ghosh, who had applied for Chinmoy’s anticipatory bail hearing had no power of attorney to fight case on his behalf.

Apart form this, Chinmoy’s lawyer Subhashish absent and had not authorised Ghosh to handle the case. As a result, the court rejected the application made by lawyer Rabindra Ghosh, reported. The bail hearing of two other accused, which was scheduled for Wednesday could not proceed due to the absence of lawyer.

India’s Concern Over Safety

India expressed its concerns over legal rights of Hindus while reiterating its expectations for ‘fair and transparent’ trial. New Delhi has requested the interim government’s authorities in Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities. They also highlighted that the arrest of Chinmoy followed multiple attacks on Hindus.

“The interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities. We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggerations. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs.

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