Bangladesh court rejects bail plea of Chinmoy Krishna Das once again

A Bangladesh court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu priest and spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote also associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), who has been arrested and jailed by the local authorities on charges of sedition.

Local media reported that Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Saiful Islam, who is on vacation, passed the order on Wednesday citing that the plea was rejected because Das did not have a lawyer's letter of attorney on his behalf.

The petition, which will be heard on January 2 next year now, states that Das - a monk who is suffering from various diseases including diabetes and respiratory problems - has been arrested in a false and fabricated case.

It also mentions that his lawyer Subhashish Sharma could not attend the hearing on December 3 due to security reasons.

"Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Public Prosecutor PP Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan said that the state party informed the court that lawyer Rabindra Ghosh, who had applied for Chinmoy's anticipatory bail hearing, had not given any power of attorney to fight the case on his behalf. Apart from this, Chinmoy's lawyer Subhashish Sharma was also not present. Subhashish did not give anything in writing to Rabindra Ghosh to fight the case. Later, the court rejected the application made by lawyer Rabindra Ghosh," reported the country's leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo.

It was revealed that the bail hearing of two other accused in the case was also scheduled for Wednesday but could not take place due to the lawyer's absence.

India has been reiterating that it hopes that the trial will be "fair and transparent" as the arrested Hindus have legal rights that should be respected.

New Delhi has also urged the interim government's authorities in Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities, including their right of freedom of peaceful assembly and expression while highlighting that the arrest of Das follows multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh.

"The interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities. We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggerations. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last month.

On Monday, during his visit to Dhaka, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had conveyed India's concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities, during his meetings with the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus and the Foreign Affairs Advisor, Touhid Hossain.

"We also discussed some regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious, and diplomatic properties. We expect, overall, a constructive approach on all these issues by the Bangladesh authorities, and we look forward to moving the relationship forward in a positive, forward-looking, and constructive direction," Misri told reporters in Dhaka on December 9 following his meeting with Hossain.