The Appellate Division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed a High Court order that had granted bail to Hindu spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case, according to media reports.
Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Md Rezaul Haque passed the order after hearing an appeal filed by the state counsel hours after the High Court granted him bail.
The stay order will remain in force until the filing of a leave-to-appeal petition and release of the full text of the verdict.
Additional Attorney General Barrister Anik R Haque represented the state.
High Court Granted Bail
Earlier in the day, the Bangladesh High Court granted bail to 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’
Earlier on April 23, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, the lawyer of Chinmoy Krishna Das, prayed to the High Court bench 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 April 30.
Monk’s Arrest
Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on November 25.
Firoz Khan, former general secretary of Chittagong’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.
Protests After Monk’s Arrest
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 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)
