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Chinmoy Krishna Das
– Photo: ANI (File)
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A Bangladesh court on Wednesday rejected Hindu saint Chinmoy Krishna Das’s demand for an early hearing on his bail plea in a treason case. The court said that his petition will be heard on the previously fixed date of January 2, 2025.
According to court officials, Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Saiful Islam rejected the petition because the lawyer did not have the power of attorney to file the petition on behalf of Chinmoy Das. Advocate Ravindra Ghosh had demanded an early hearing of the petition from the court. However, when the second lawyer told the court that Ravindra Ghosh did not have the authorization letter from Chinmay Das to represent him, the judge rejected his plea seeking an early hearing. Ghosh said that Das has been implicated in a false and fabricated case even though he is suffering from diabetes, asthma and other ailments, a court official said.
However, the lawyer admitted that he had not met Chinmoy Das in jail to obtain his power of attorney. He said, now I will go to jail to meet Chinmoy Das and get the power of attorney from him. Earlier, the hearing scheduled for December 3 was adjourned by the court till January 2, 2025, as no lawyer appeared on behalf of the accused on that day. This date was changed on the suggestion of the prosecution.
Independent Gaurang Das, an associate of Das and a member of his umbrella organization Sanatani Jagran Jot Sangathan, had earlier said that no lawyer represented Das because he was under pressure from a group of politically motivated lawyers and had received threats.
Chinmoy Krishna Das has previously been associated with ISKCON. He was arrested on November 25 from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The next day, a Chittagong court sent him to jail and rejected his bail plea because he was accused of insulting the national flag of Bangladesh. Das’s arrest was followed by protests by his followers in Dhaka and other places, including violence in Chittagong, where a lawyer was killed. After the death of this lawyer, there was a demand to ban ISKCON in Bangladesh. ISKCON also distanced itself from Das, saying that he was expelled from the organization six months ago.
On October 31, a case was registered against Das and his 18 other associates at Kotwali police station in Chittagong. The allegation was that he insulted the national flag of Bangladesh. Which also included a local leader, who was a member of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s party BNP. But he was expelled from the party.
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