Bangladesh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case.
The order was passed by the bench of Justice Md Atoar Rahman and Justice Md Ali Reza after hearing the former International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) leader’s bail petition.
Jail ‘Without Trial’
Chinmoy Krishna Das is expected to be released from jail following the High Court order, unless the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stays the High Court verdict, Advocate Prahlad Debnath, a lawyer for Chinmoy, told The Daily Star.
Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, the lawyer of Chinmoy Krishna Das, prayed to the High Court bench on April 23 to grant bail to the Hindu spiritual leader since he was ill and suffering in jail without trial.
The High Court did not grant him bail that day and said it would give the order after hearing the case on Wednesday (April 30, 2025).
Hindu Leader’s Arrest
Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, on November 25.
Firoz Khan, former general secretary of Chattogram’s Mohora ward BNP, filed the case with Kotwali Police Station on October 31, where he accused Das and 18 others of disrespecting the national flag during a rally on October 25.
A Chittagong court sent him to jail on November 26 by rejecting his bail plea.
Massive Protest
The arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das sparked massive protests by the minority Hindu community in the South Asian nation, which has been in political turmoil since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India amid widespread violent demonstrations against her government.
India had earlier expressed deep concern over the arrest of the Hindu spiritual leader.
Bangladesh has witnessed rising cases of attacks on Hindus ever since the Hasina-led government was toppled in the Muslim-majority nation.
(With inputs from IBNS)
