Bangladesh court keeps bail petition, refuses to advance hearing of arrested Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das

Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 12 (ANI): A court in the port city of Chittagong on Thursday recorded a petition moved by a senior Supreme Court lawyer for Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das' bail, however, the judge did not allow the early hearing.
Rabindra Ghosh, a Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, presented the petition in the court and the judge kept his application "on record" but did not allow an early hearing.
"The senior lawyer Rabindra Ghosh used the authorised power with the signature of Chinmoy Krishna Das on the basis of Supreme Court Bar document. But the judge asked a requirement of Chittagong Bar confirmation," Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, President of Chittagong Bar Association, told ANI over the phone.
"Advocate Ghosh could not show any documents of the Chittagong Bar, so the Judge kept his application on record and did not allow an early date of hearing. He maintained the scheduled hearing date of January 2", Chowdhury added.
Chinmoy's lawyer Rabindra Ghosh expressed disappointment and said that he is considering to move the bail prayer to the High Court with the documents.
"I am very disheartened. I have been coming from Dhaka for the last three days and applying with repeated attempts. The Judge took my application on his table. He could have heard it. It fell into some conspiracy," Rabindra Ghosh, told ANI over phone. "We are considering to move the bail prayer to the High Court with the documents," he added.
On Wednesday too, the court has rejected the plea for the early bail hearing. The court dismissed the petition, stating that Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson of Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaron Jote, did not authorise power to the lawyer who submitted the plea.
Chinmoy Krishna Das, also a former priest of ISKCON, was arrested by police from Dhaka Airport on November 25 on a charge of sedition.
On November 26, a court in Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong rejected his bail prayer and ordered him to be sent to prison.
His followers laid in front of his prison van and blocked it. Police cleared after clashes with the protesters. A lawyer named Saiful Islam Alif was killed during the clashes.
On December 3, Chittagong court had fixed January 2 for bail hearing as the prosecution submitted a time petition and there was no lawyer to represent Chinmoy. (ANI)