Bangladesh HC grants bail to Hindu monk; government seeks stay

DHAKA: Hours after a bench of the Bangladesh high court ordered the release of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on bail on Wednesday - five months after his arrest on charges of defaming the country's national flag - the interim govt filed a petition seeking a stay on the reprieve granted to the monk. The plea is scheduled to be heard on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the HC had issued its verdict following the final hearing on Chinmoy's bail application in a sedition case filed on Oct 31, 2024. The two-judge bench, comprising justice Md Atowar Rahman and justice Md Ali Reza, upheld its earlier ruling and asked the authorities why Chinmoy should not be granted bail, according to a court official. On Oct 31, a case was filed at the Kotwali police station in Chittagong, accusing Chinmoy and 18 others of disrespecting the Bangladesh national flag. The sedition case was lodged by Firoz Khan, former BNP general secretary of Chittagong's Mohora ward.

Chinmoy was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Nov 25. The following day, the local court in Chittagong sent him to jail after rejecting his bail plea. His subsequent bail petition was denied by the same court on Dec 11.