Dhaka/Kolkata, Jan 3 (Representative) Bangladeshi Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das is set to stay longer in jail, after a court in Chittagong denied him bail.Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam rejected Chinmoy’s bail plea after 30 minutes of arguments from both sides. After the hearing, Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court’s Public Prosecutor Advocate Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan said, “We opposed the bail during the hearing, and the court has rejected the bail application,” according to the Daily Sun. Meanwhile, Chinmoy’s lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya said, “The court has listened to our arguments. The bail has been rejected. We will approach the higher court.”A former ISKCON member, Das is a prominent figure among the Hindu community in the country and has been vocal in his demand for greater protection of minorities in Bangladesh. He was arrested on November 25 by authorities at the Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, after being charged with sedition for allegedly desecrating the national flag on October 31. Following his remand hearing on 26 November, a clash between law enforcers, Islamist lawyers, and Chinmoy’s followers resulted in the death of a lawyer Saiful Islam Alif, which led to several delays in his court hearing, as no one was willing to defend Das.On December 3, the court postponed Das’ bail hearing to January 2, 2025, as no lawyer represented him during the earlier proceedings.The bail hearing today saw increasingly heightened security around the court premises, with police barricading entrances and restricting access. Lawyers and individuals entering the premises underwent strict identity checks, with the general public allowed to enter only after noon.
According to Business Standard BD, a team of 11 Supreme Court lawyers, led by Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya, stood for the monk. They appeared at the court around 10:15am to represent Chinmoy, who is also the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote.Calling the charges completely baseless, Bhattacharya said “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. However, the court rejected the bail plea. We will approach the High Court. “Following the verdict, Advocate Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, president of the Chattogram District Bar Association, said, “The defence presented their grounds for bail. However, this being a sedition case with ongoing investigations, the prosecution opposed bail, which the court upheld. “Radharamn Das, senior ISKCON leader from Kolkata, in a post on X said that Chinmoy’s health is in fragile condition, and he has already spent 40 days in jail:“Chinmoy Krishna Das’s bail application was rejected again today. Everyone following the developments in Bangladesh was deeply hopeful that Chinmoy Krishna Das would be granted bail today, especially considering he has already spent 40 days in prison, his fragile health, and his respected status as a monk. “The rejection of his bail application on the grounds that investigators have not yet submitted their report comes as a shocking and disheartening setback. “We trust that the Bangladeshi legal system will uphold the rights of Chinmoy Krishna Das, and we sincerely hope that the investigation will be completed promptly, allowing him to secure bail at the earliest opportunity.”