Eleven Supreme Court lawyers will participate in Thursday's bail hearing of former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, the Daily Star reported.
The legal team led by advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya will defend Chinmoy in the sedition case arising out of allegations of insulting Bangladesh's national flag.
Speaking to the Daily Star, advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya said, "We have come to Chittagong under the banner of NGB Oikya Parishad and we will plead in court for Chinmoy's bail. I have already received the Vakalatnama from Chinmoy. I am a member of both the Supreme Court and Chittagong Bar Associations, so I do not need the permission of any local lawyer to run the case."
Earlier on December 3, 2024, the Chittagong court had fixed January 2 for the bail hearing as the prosecution had submitted a time petition and there was no lawyer to represent Chinmoy.
The unrest in Bangladesh began with sedition charges filed against Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is accused of hoisting a saffron flag above Bangladesh's national flag in Chittagong on October 25.
His arrest on November 25 sparked protests, which led to violent clashes between his followers and law enforcement officials outside the Chittagong Court Building on November 27, resulting in the death of a lawyer.
The situation worsened further after additional arrests. According to ISKCON Kolkata, two sadhus, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, were detained on November 29 when they went to visit Chinmoy Krishna Das in custody. The organization's vice president Radha Raman also claimed that rioters vandalized the ISKCON center in Bangladesh during the unrest.
The Ministry of External Affairs had also expressed concern over the rising violence and extremist rhetoric in Bangladesh and stressed that it has consistently raised the issue of targeted attacks on minorities with Dhaka.
In December 2024, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri wrote an open letter about Chinmoy Krishna Das. The letter said, Chinmoy Krishna Das, formerly associated with the world-renowned ISKCON, along with his colleagues in the Sanatani Jagran Jot, had put forward an 8-point demand on behalf of the religious minorities of Bangladesh, which included the enactment of a minority protection law in Bangladesh, a ministry for the protection of minorities, a special tribunal to hear cases of minority persecution, including compensation and rehabilitation for victims, a law to reclaim and protect temples (Debottar), proper enforcement of the Vested Assets Return Act and upgrading of existing (separate) Hindu, Buddhist and Christian welfare trusts to foundations.
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