Bangladesh court denies relief to Hindu saint Chinmoy Das, lawyer attacked while filing petition

Dhaka (The Uttam Hindu): A court in Chattogram, Bangladesh rejected the petition for relief filed on behalf of the imprisoned Hindu saint, Chinmoy Krishna Das. On Wednesday, Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions Judge Saiful Islam dismissed the bail application filed by Supreme Court lawyer Ravindra Ghosh, stating that he did not have the power of attorney to represent Chinmoy.

Ghosh had gone to seek legal help for Chinmoy Das after a week. It is important to note that no lawyer in Chattogram was willing to represent Chinmoy in court as Islamist extremists had threatened to "publicly beat" any lawyer who took up his case. When Ghosh went to file the petition on Wednesday he was harassed and attacked outside the court. During the hearing, hundreds of lawyers gathered in the courtroom, creating chaos. The previous bail hearing, held on December 3, had no lawyer present for Das as his lawyer Ramen Roy was hospitalized in the ICU after being injured in an attack.

Chinmoy Krishna Das was arrested on November 25 by the Dhaka Police Detective Branch on charges of sedition. Lawyer Ghosh had filed for bail, arguing that Das had been falsely implicated in the case. Ghosh also highlighted that Das suffers from diabetes, asthma and other health issues.