Bangladesh: Supreme Court Lawyers to Defend Former ISKCON pandit Chinmoy Krishna Das in alleged Sedition Case

Eleven Supreme Court lawyers are set to participate in the bail hearing on January 2 of former ISKCON pandit Chinmoy Krishna Das, The Daily Star reported. Led by advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, the legal team will defend Chinmoy, in a sedition case resulting from allegations of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag.

While speaking to The Daily Star, lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee said, “We have come to Chattogram under the banner of Ainjibi Oikya Parishad, and we will move for Chinmoy in the court for his bail. I already got the Vakalatnama from Chinmoy. I’m a member of both the Supreme Court and Chattogram Bar associations, so I don’t need authorisation from any local lawyer to move the case.”

Earlier on December 3, 2024, Chittagong court had fixed January 2 for bail hearing as the prosecution submitted a time petition and there was no lawyer to represent Chinmoy.

The unrest in Bangladesh stems from the sedition charges filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das for allegedly raising a saffron flag above Bangladesh’s national flag in Chittagong on October 25. His arrest on November 25 sparked protests, culminating in violent clashes between his followers and law enforcement outside the Chattogram Court Building on November 27, which resulted in the death of a lawyer.

The situation worsened following additional arrests. According to ISKCON Kolkata, two monks, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, were detained on November 29 after visiting Chinmoy Krishna Das in custody. The organisation’s Vice President, Radha Raman, also claimed that rioters vandalised an ISKCON centre in Bangladesh during the unrest.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also voiced concern over escalating violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh, emphasising that it has consistently raised the issue of targeted attacks on minorities with Dhaka.

In December 2024, Veena Sikri, former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, in an open letter wrote about Chinmoy Krishna Das. The letter said, “Chinmoy Krishna Das, formerly with the globally renowned ISKCON, together with his colleagues in the Sanatani Jagran Jote put forward an 8-point demand on behalf of the religious minorities of Bangladesh, seeking the enactment of a minority protection law in Bangladesh, with a ministry for the protection of minorities, a special tribunal for trial of cases of minority persecution, including compensation and rehabilitation of victims, a law to recover and protect temples (Debottar), proper enforcement of the Vested Property Return Act, and upgradation of the existing (separate) Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Welfare Trusts to Foundations.”

(with inputs from ANI)