Amid debates and criticism surrounding the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson for the Sammilita Sanatan Jagaran Jote, or United Sanatan Awakening Alliance, and the ensuing violent protests, a lawyer has petitioned the High Court to ban the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, in a sedition case.
The court summoned the attorney general to hear the state’s position on the issue, and asked him to provide a report within a day.
The attorney filed the petition, along with a newspaper article, at the High Court bench of Justices Farah Mahbub and Debasish Roy Chowdhury on Wednesday.
The attorney general later stated that he had informed the court that it would not be suitable to decide right away.
“The government is taking this seriously. There is already action underway.
In reference to ISKCON, he informed the court that the government would investigate the organization’s registration status, potential ban, and potential legal action against it before presenting the findings to the court.
The attorney general requested a day to collect the data.
Afterwards, the court requested a report by the end of Thursday.
An end to the persecution of religious minorities is one of the eight demands made by Chinmoy, a Hindu priest and leader of a religious minority in Bangladesh, who has been speaking out for the Hindu community throughout the country.
On Monday, the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police took him into custody at the Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
At approximately 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, he was taken under strict security to a Chattogram court in a “sedition” case.
The court denied Chinmoy Krishna’s bail appeal and sentenced him to jail.
Following the jail order, protesters and local law enforcement clashed, killing lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and injuring numerous others.
