A court in Chittagong recorded a bail petition for Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das on Thursday. However, the judge did not allow an early hearing. Senior lawyer Rabindra Ghosh submitted the petition, but the judge decided to wait for the scheduled hearing date.
Missing Documents Cause Delay
Rabindra Ghosh, a Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, filed the petition on behalf of Chinmoy Krishna Das. Nevertheless, the judge requested confirmation from the Chittagong Bar Association, which Ghosh could not provide. Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, President of the Chittagong Bar Association, explained that Ghosh lacked the necessary documents. As a result, the judge kept the petition on record and set the hearing for January 2.
Lawyer’s Frustration
Rabindra Ghosh expressed his disappointment with the delay. He said, “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.” In light of this, Ghosh added that he might move the bail petition to the High Court with the necessary documents.
Previous Bail Denial
This is not the first time the court has rejected an early hearing. On Wednesday, the court dismissed the petition, stating that Chinmoy Krishna Das had not authorized the lawyer to file it.
Arrest and Protests
Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former ISKCON priest, was arrested at Dhaka Airport on November 25 on sedition charges. The following day, the Chittagong court denied his bail and sent him to prison. His supporters, in protest, blocked his prison van, which led to clashes with police. Tragically, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif lost his life in the violence.
Bail Hearing Scheduled for January
The Chittagong court has now scheduled the next bail hearing for January 2. This follows a request from the prosecution for more time, and at the time, no lawyer was available to represent Chinmoy.