Jailed Hindu monk moves Bangladesh court for bail, hearing likely on January 20

The lawyers of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, arrested in Bangladesh in November last year in a sedition case, have filed a petition in the High Court seeking bail for the jailed Hindu monk. Das was arrested by the Dhaka Police on November 25, days after a sedition case was filed against him.

The fresh bail plea was moved by the monk’s lawyers before the High Court last week and is likely to be heard on January 20.

On January 2, a Chattogram court rejected Das’s bail plea, a move that prompted India to urge Bangladeshi authorities to ensure a fair trial for the Hindu monk.

Das, leading protests against atrocities against Hindus in violence-hit Bangladesh, was arrested by the Dhaka Police’s Detective Branch on November 25, 2024, on charges of disrespecting the Bangladeshi flag at a rally which he had addressed in October.

Following Das’s arrest, his bail application was rejected by Chattogram’s Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on November 26.

In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital in November 2024 before his arrest, Das said the sedition case was an attempt to finish off the leadership spearheading the protests for minority rights in Muhammad Yunus’s regime.

The monk emerged as a prominent voice for minorities, particularly Hindus, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, which led to widespread attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

Several incidents of violence against minorities in the Muslim-majority country have been reported in the past couple of months after the ouster of Hasina in August last year amid anti-government protests.

Meanwhile, a Chittagong court recently granted interim bail to 63 Hindu lawyers in connection with a case pertaining to the death of a Muslim lawyer on the court premises during last year’s clashes after Das’s arrest.

The bail was granted by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate for a personal bond of 1,000 Bangladeshi takas after 63 out of 70 lawyers surrendered before the court on Monday.

Earlier, a case was filed against 70 Hindu lawyers at the Chittagong Bar in connection with the matter.