Dhaka [Bangladesh]: A court in Chittagong declined to grant an early hearing for the bail petition of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, keeping the application “on record” during proceedings on Thursday. The scheduled bail hearing remains set for January 2.
Rabindra Ghosh, a senior Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, presented the bail petition in court. However, the judge requested confirmation from the Chittagong Bar to validate Ghosh’s authority to represent Chinmoy Krishna Das.
“Advocate Ghosh could not show any documents of the Chittagong Bar, so the Judge kept his application on record and did not allow an early date of hearing. He maintained the scheduled hearing date of January 2,” explained Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, President of the Chittagong Bar Association, during a phone conversation with media.
Expressing frustration, Rabindra Ghosh stated, “I am very disheartened. I have been coming from Dhaka for the last three days and applying with repeated attempts. The Judge took my application on his table. He could have heard it. It fell into some conspiracy.” He further added that he is considering moving the bail petition to the High Court with the necessary documents.
The court had also rejected an earlier plea for an expedited bail hearing on Wednesday, citing procedural issues. According to reports, Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaron Jote and a former ISKCON priest, was arrested on November 25 at Dhaka Airport on charges of sedition.
Following his arrest, a Chittagong court rejected his initial bail plea on November 26 and sent him to prison. During the transfer, clashes erupted between his followers and the police, resulting in the death of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
On December 3, the Chittagong court scheduled the next bail hearing for January 2, citing procedural delays and the absence of legal representation for Chinmoy Krishna Das.