DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh on Thursday rejected the bail plea of Iskcon priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, according to media reports. His legal team, led by advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, defended him in a sedition case related to accusations of disrespecting Bangladesh's national flag.
“Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam rejected the bail plea after hearing arguments from both sides for around 30 minutes”, Mofizur Haque Bhuiyan, Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate stated to ‘The Daily Star’.
Iskcon Vice President Radharaman Das expressed disappointment over the rejection, saying, "We all were very hopeful that today he will get bail. He's a, you know, you know, he's a Brahmachari. He's a monk. And he was there, he was inside jail for the last 42 years, 42 days. And we also heard that his health is not good. So we are very hopeful that the judge will grant him bail."
He added, "But if his bail has been rejected, then this is very unfortunate. Whole world was looking towards this hearing and, and we are waiting. We'll see why the judge refused his bail."
Chinmoy Krishna Das is the spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, a group advocating for the rights and security of minorities. He has been an outspoken advocate for the Hindu (Sanatani) community in Bangladesh, calling for important reforms such as a minority protection law, a tribunal to fast-track cases of minority persecution, and the creation of a dedicated ministry of minority affairs.
He gained considerable attention for organizing large public rallies, including one in Chittagong on October 25 and another in Rangpur on November 22, which led to the widespread socio-political discussions across the country.
Das was arrested after a sedition case was filed against him and 18 others in Chittagong on October 30. The charges were linked to the hoisting of a saffron flag above Bangladesh's official flag during the October 25 rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chattogram.
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