Bangladesh High Court Rejects Bail Plea of Hindu Monk in Lawyer Murder Case

The Bangladesh High Court on Sunday rejected the bail plea of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is facing trial in a lower court over the 2024 killing of junior government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif during violent clashes in Chittagong. Justices KM Zahid Sarwar and Sheikh Abu Taher ruled that bail could not be granted as witness testimony in the trial court is currently underway.

Das's lawyer, Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya, confirmed the verdict and said the court has set Monday for hearing bail petitions in four other cases pending against the monk. Prosecutors have named 39 individuals in Alif's murder, with 23, including Das, in custody to stand trial, while 16 remain at large.

Das was previously granted bail in a separate sedition case in April 2023 for allegedly insulting the national flag, but the Supreme Court's appellate division later stayed that order. He has been in detention since, with his legal team citing deteriorating health due to prolonged incarceration.

The trial in the murder case will continue in the Chittagong lower court, while the next hearing on Das's bail in the four other cases is scheduled for Monday.