The High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesman for the Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote and head of the ISKCON-affiliated Pundarik Dham Temple in Chattogram, who had been in prison for five months in a sedition case involving alleged disrespect of the Bangladeshi flag.
The bench comprising Justices Md Atoar Rahman and Md Ali Reza issued the ruling, thereby disposing of a rule issued in February questioning the denial of bail on Wednesday (30 April)
Chinmoy had come under legal scrutiny following a public address on 25 October last year at Chattogram’s Laldighi Maidan, where he voiced concerns over attacks on minorities and raised eight demands.
A sedition case was subsequently filed against him and 18 others at Kotwali Police Station on 30 October 2024.
He was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on 25 November 2024 and later denied bail by Chattogram’s 6th Metropolitan Magistrate, Kazi Shariful Islam, who ordered his imprisonment the following day.
The court decision triggered widespread protests by members of the Hindu community in Dhaka, Chattogram, Cumilla, Khulna, Dinajpur, and Cox’s Bazar, culminating in a two-and-a-half-hour standoff outside the courthouse.
Police resorted to stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators, during which several vehicles were damaged and a scuffle broke out between lawyers and protesters.
In the ensuing chaos, lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was killed on the Rangam Convention Hall road.
Following the rejection of his initial bail plea, Chinmoy’s legal team filed a revision petition, but no immediate hearing was held. He was transferred from Dhaka to Chattogram that same evening.
On 3 December a fresh bail hearing was adjourned due to the absence of a defence lawyer.
Ahead of the rescheduled hearing on 2 January, the Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote alleged that up to 70 lawyers faced retaliatory cases aimed at preventing them from representing Chinmoy.
They further claimed that some chambers had been attacked.
Although the Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court once again denied bail on 2 January, the High Court subsequently entertained a petition for interim bail on 12 January.
A rule was issued on 4 February asking the state to explain why bail should not be granted.
Chinmoy’s case was represented by barrister Apurbo Kumar Bhattacharya, while Attorney General Aneek R Haque stood for the state.
The granting of permanent bail now marks a significant turn in a case that has stirred deep communal sensitivities and highlighted alleged interference with legal representation.
