The Appellate Division鈥檚 chamber judge on Wednesday withdrew an order that stayed the High Court鈥檚 bail granted to former International Society for Krishna Consciousness leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in a sedition case over alleged desecration of the national flag.
Lawyer Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, representing Chinmoy, told 抖阴精品 that Appellate Division鈥檚 chamber judge Md Rezaul Haque voluntarily revoked the stay order shortly after issuing it.
Apurba alleged that the stay was passed in the lawyer鈥檚 absence and without prior enlistment of the matter on the cause list for hearing.
Earlier in the afternoon, the High Court bench of Justice Md Atoar Rahman and Justice Md Ali Reza granted bail to Chinmoy after disposing of his bail petition.
On February 4, the same bench had issued a rule asking the state to explain within four weeks why Chinmoy should not be granted bail.
Additional attorney general Aneek R Haque and deputy attorney general Farid Uddin Khan strongly opposed the bail, arguing that Chinmoy鈥檚 release could aggravate the law and order situation and pose a threat to national stability.
Chinmoy, now a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024, in a sedition case filed on October 31, accusing him and 18 others of dishonouring the national flag during a religious event in Chattogram.
Chinmoy鈥檚 counsel, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharjee, argued before the High Court that the offence of dishonouring the national flag carried a maximum sentence of one year, while his client had already been in custody for five months.
He further pointed out that there had been no progress in the investigation into the sedition case, despite the court directing the probe officer to submit a report by May 27.
Chinmoy was denied bail by a Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate and sent to jail the following day.
A day later, violence erupted on the Chattogram court premises after the bail rejection. Chinmoy鈥檚 followers, reportedly armed with machetes and other weapons, clashed with police and lawyers. Lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was killed during the attack.
Several cases were filed against Chinmoy and others following the murder of the lawyer.
