22 minutes ago
Bangladesh has completed all legal procedures required to seek the return of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said on Saturday, according to a report by news agency Press Trust of India.
Bangladesh has sought Hasina's extradition since she fled to India in August 2024 following a student-led uprising that toppled her government. India has acknowledged receiving the requests but has not announced a decision.
“We have completed everything required from our side as part of the legal process. What they (India) will do is up to them,” Asaduzzaman told reporters after an event at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka, PTI reported, citing Prothom Alo.
The minister said Hasina would return through legal means and that extradition under the bilateral treaty would itself be a legal process. Asked whether she would be given a legal opportunity to return, he said she would come back through due process.
Asked whether Hasina would be entitled to appeal against her death sentence, Asaduzzaman said she would not have that opportunity under the relevant law, according to the Dhaka Tribune.
When asked whether India had discussed sending Hasina to a third country, the minister said the Indian government would be able to answer the question, Prothom Alo reported.
Bangladesh's Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina in November 2025 of crimes against humanity over her role in the crackdown on protesters during the July-August 2024 uprising. Tried in her absence, she was sentenced to death on one charge and life imprisonment on another. Hasina has rejected the charges and the proceedings.
Bangladesh continued to seek her extradition after the interim government that succeeded her administration handed over power in February to an elected government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
On Friday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi that Hasina's extradition was a legal matter and would be dealt with accordingly. “India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh,” he said, according to PTI.
Hasina, 79, has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December. She made the announcement during an audio-only virtual press conference with journalists organised in New Delhi on August 5.
Relations between the two countries came under renewed strain after the press conference. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry said it was “outraged” that Hasina had been allowed to interact with the media in New Delhi despite Dhaka conveying its concerns to the Indian government in advance.
India distanced itself from the event, saying it had been organised by a private media organisation and that the government had “no involvement whatsoever” in it.
Dhaka has also linked progress on Hasina's extradition to a possible visit to India by Rahman. It has said New Delhi would need to speed up her handover and return other fugitives sought by Bangladesh to create a favourable environment for the visit.
The India-Bangladesh dialogue on consular matters, scheduled for next week, has been postponed.
Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said earlier this week that Hasina had no legal option left but to face execution of her death sentence. He also rejected the possibility of issuing her a passport or travel document.
His remarks came a day after Hasina, through a London-based legal chamber, approached the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi for a new passport and national identity card.
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had said the government was examining the authenticity and legal basis of the applications submitted by Hasina. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, however, reiterated that Dhaka would seek her return from India only through the existing extradition treaty.
Bangladesh maintains that it has completed the legal steps required to seek Hasina's extradition and that the next decision rests with India, which has said the matter will be handled through the legal process.
- Ends
(With PTI inputs)
