The Bangladesh High Court on Sunday rejected the bail petition of detained Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is currently facing trial in connection with the killing of a lawyer during violent clashes in Chittagong in 2024.
According to Das’s lawyer, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya, a two-judge bench comprising Justices KM Zahid Sarwar and Sheikh Abu Taher rejected the plea on the grounds that witness testimony is already being recorded in the lower court where the trial is underway.
Bhattacharya, however, said the High Court scheduled a hearing for Monday on bail petitions related to four other cases filed against the monk.
Prosecutors have alleged that 39 individuals were accused in the murder of junior government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif. Of them, 23 — including Das — are currently in custody and are expected to face trial in person, while 16 others remain absconding.
Das’s legal team argued that he should be granted bail because he has been in jail for an extended period and is reportedly suffering from health problems.
The monk was previously granted bail by the High Court on April 30 last year in a separate sedition case involving allegations of insulting Bangladesh’s national flag. However, the country’s apex appellate division later stayed that bail order, keeping him in custody.
