Bangladesh HC grants bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, release unlikely

His lawyers have sought bail for a while, saying Das was languishing in jail for a long time with ailments.

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s High Court on Sunday granted bail to jailed Hindu rights leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in two cases, his lawyer said. But the bail would not ensure his immediate release from prison because he is accused in four other cases.

Das is a Hindu monk whose arrest in November 2024 on sedition charges for allegedly disrespecting the national flag sparked protests and communal tensions in Bangladesh. He was subsequently booked in several additional cases, including charges of murder, attempted murder and vandalism.

India back then expressed “deep concern” over the arrest and asked Dhaka to ensure the safety “of Hindus and all minorities”.

It came at a time when India-Bangladesh relations turned frosty following the August 2024 ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina – driven by her asylum in New Delhi and political friction with the interim government.

“The (two-judge) High Court bench granted his bail petition in two cases involving charges of murder attempts, vandalism and obstructing officials in performing their duties,” Das’s lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya said on Sunday.

Both prosecution and defence lawyers said the decision of the bench would not ensure Das’s release because of four more pending cases, including charges of treason and murder, against him.

The murder case concerns an incident in which a government prosecutor was hacked to death in the southeastern port city of Chattogram by activists protesting Das’s arrest.

Das, who was previously associated with ISKCON, is a spokesman for a group named Hindu group Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote. The group organised several rallies in Bangladesh, demanding minority rights, safety and protection from civil unrest in 2024 after the ouster of Hasina following a violent student-led street protest.

The cases against Das are in different stages in the courts.

His lawyers have sought bail for a while, saying Das was languishing in jail for a long time with ailments.

Several of his earlier bail petitions were either rejected or stayed.