Bangladesh High Court orders Hindu leader’s release on bail

Chinmoy Krishna Das associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), who faces several charges, is escorted by the police at the Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Court, in Chattogram, Bangladesh, November 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

A bench of Bangladesh High Court on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) ordered release of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on bail, five months after he was arrested on a charge of defaming the country’s national flag, court officials said.

“The two-judge bench declared absolute its earlier rule asking authorities why he should not be granted bail,” an official of the High Court said.

The bench comprising Justice Atoar Rahman and Justice Ali Reza granted the bail after the final hearing on their previous rule.

On October 31, a case with Kotwali police station in Chattogram was filed accusing Mr. Das and 18 others of disrespecting the Bangladesh national flag.

A former ISKCON leader, Mr. Das was arrested at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25 last year.

A spokesperson for the Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, a Hindu organisation, Mr. Das was taken to the court at the southeastern port city of Chattogram, which sent him to jail rejecting his bail petition the next day.

Mr. Das’ arrest sparked widespread protests with his followers demonstrating in Dhaka and other places. In the port city, the protest turned violent when assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif was hacked to death, hours after Mr. Das was sent to jail.

The development— less than three months after a mass student-led protest ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5— also emerged as an issue between Bangladesh and India with New Delhi expressing its concern over his detention. After Ms. Hasina fled to India, Muhammad Yunus took over as Chief Adviser of the Interim government on August 8.

“This incident follows the multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh. There are several documented cases of arson and looting of minorities’ homes and business establishments, as well as theft and vandalism and desecration of deities and temples,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi on November 26.

“It is unfortunate that while the perpetrators of these incidents remain at large, charges should be pressed against a religious leader presenting legitimate demands through peaceful gatherings,” MEA said and urged Bangladesh authorities to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities.

Earlier, the lawyers of the Hindu community leader had failed to secure bail for him as the lower court in Chattogram denied their petitions.

“The allegation of disrespecting the national flag is baseless, as it was not a national flag. We informed the court that this case cannot proceed,” top defence counsel Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya told journalists emerging from the court room last time in January.

Mr. Bhattacharya, a former Deputy Attorney General, was leading a team of 11 Supreme Court lawyers to represent Mr. Das.

Earlier on December 11, the court rejected a plea seeking advanced hearing of his bail petition by lawyer Rabindra Ghose ruling that it would be heard on the previously fixed date on January 2, 2025.

An associate of Mr. Das in his Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, Sawtantra Gauranga Das, earlier said no lawyer stood for the Hindu leader fearing threats and pressure from a “politically motivated lawyers’ group”.

The government prosecutor’s death sparked a counter campaign demanding a ban of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which distanced itself from Das saying he was expelled from the organisation more than six months ago.