The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a High Court order that granted bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a leader of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in a sedition case over alleged desecration of the national flag.
Chamber judge Justice Md Rezaul Haque passed the order after hearing a provisional leave-to-appeal petition filed by the state, challenging the High Court鈥檚 April 30 order that granted bail to Chinmoy.
The chamber judge also instructed the state to file a regular petition seeking permission to appeal.
The stay will remain in force until such an appeal is filed.
The stay order came after Chinmoy was shown arrested in four other cases after he was granted bail in the sedition case on April 30.
Senior lawyer MK Rahman, representing Chinmoy, told the court that the sedition charge was unwarranted and not sustainable under the law.
He argued that, at most, the allegation may constitute a violation of the Flag Rules, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail 鈥� a term for which Chinmoy has already served six months behind bars.
Additional attorney general Aneek R Haque opposed the bail, citing serious law and order concerns that arose following Chinmoy鈥檚 initial bail denial by a Chattogram court.
He informed the court that the bail rejection triggered violent clashes on the court premises, resulting in the death of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif.
Chinmoy, now a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was arrested in Dhaka on November 25, 2024, in connection with a sedition case filed on October 31.
The case accuses him and 18 others of dishonouring the national flag during a religious programme in Chattogram.
A Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate denied him bail and sent him to jail the following day.
Violent protests broke out at the court premises, during which Chinmoy鈥檚 followers 鈥� reportedly armed with machetes and sticks 鈥� clashed with police and lawyers, leaving one lawyer dead and several others injured.