The Crossbill News Desk
India is weighing Bangladesh’s renewed demand for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, even as diplomatic discussions between New Delhi and Dhaka continue over how to address the politically sensitive request.
According to reports, senior Indian officials have indicated that any final decision would have to follow the judicial process rather than being determined solely through diplomatic channels.
“The decision to extradite will be finally taken by our courts, it will not be a political or diplomatic decision. And what has to be established during the court process is whether the crimes that are alleged to have been committed are also categorised as crimes under the Indian law,” a top official told The Indian Express.
The Tarique Rahman government has repeatedly pressed India to hand over Hasina, who has been living in India since the mass uprising that led to her ouster in August 2024.
Indian officials, however, said discussions with Dhaka were underway to find a way forward and move away from what they described as a maximalist position on the extradition demand.
The issue remains closely linked to the broader state of India-Bangladesh relations, with one official saying the extradition request “cannot be decoupled from the current diplomatic exchanges between Delhi and Dhaka”.
Responding to a question about Prime Minister Rahman’s demand, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier told The Indian Express, “We are examining the matter in accordance with our established procedures, and whenever I have any update to share, I will inform you…”
According to MEA officials, Bangladesh’s request has been accompanied by the legal documents required under the 2013 extradition treaty between the two countries. The request will therefore have to be examined under the applicable provisions and procedures before any decision is taken.
Hasina, meanwhile, has indicated that she intends to return to Bangladesh. During a virtual press conference on August 5, she was asked when she planned to go back and referred to Bangladesh’s history and the 1971 Liberation War.
“December is our victory month, so I want to go back in the month of December.”
Hasina, 78, has been living at an undisclosed location in New Delhi since August 2024, when a mass uprising forced her government from power. She faces a death sentence in Bangladesh, while her Awami League party has been banned by the current authorities.
A second Indian official pointed to Hasina’s own stated intention to return, saying she had indicated that she planned to go back to Bangladesh in December this year.
Members and former lawmakers of the Awami League have meanwhile maintained that Hasina has remained engaged with party workers in Bangladesh during her stay in India. They have said she has continued to hold consultations with party members, including occasional in-person meetings, and has remained active in her personal routine.
The former prime minister had declared on August 5 that she was “determined to return home”, while party figures have suggested that she could seek to return towards the end of the year.
With Dhaka continuing to seek her extradition and New Delhi stressing the role of its courts, Hasina’s future in India is likely to remain a major point of contention in bilateral relations in the months ahead.
According to reports, senior Indian officials have indicated that any final decision would have to follow the judicial process rather than being determined solely through diplomatic channels.
“The decision to extradite will be finally taken by our courts, it will not be a political or diplomatic decision. And what has to be established during the court process is whether the crimes that are alleged to have been committed are also categorised as crimes under the Indian law,” a top official told The Indian Express.
The Tarique Rahman government has repeatedly pressed India to hand over Hasina, who has been living in India since the mass uprising that led to her ouster in August 2024.
Indian officials, however, said discussions with Dhaka were underway to find a way forward and move away from what they described as a maximalist position on the extradition demand.
The issue remains closely linked to the broader state of India-Bangladesh relations, with one official saying the extradition request “cannot be decoupled from the current diplomatic exchanges between Delhi and Dhaka”.
Responding to a question about Prime Minister Rahman’s demand, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier told The Indian Express, “We are examining the matter in accordance with our established procedures, and whenever I have any update to share, I will inform you…”
According to MEA officials, Bangladesh’s request has been accompanied by the legal documents required under the 2013 extradition treaty between the two countries. The request will therefore have to be examined under the applicable provisions and procedures before any decision is taken.
Hasina, meanwhile, has indicated that she intends to return to Bangladesh. During a virtual press conference on August 5, she was asked when she planned to go back and referred to Bangladesh’s history and the 1971 Liberation War.
“December is our victory month, so I want to go back in the month of December.”
Hasina, 78, has been living at an undisclosed location in New Delhi since August 2024, when a mass uprising forced her government from power. She faces a death sentence in Bangladesh, while her Awami League party has been banned by the current authorities.
A second Indian official pointed to Hasina’s own stated intention to return, saying she had indicated that she planned to go back to Bangladesh in December this year.
Members and former lawmakers of the Awami League have meanwhile maintained that Hasina has remained engaged with party workers in Bangladesh during her stay in India. They have said she has continued to hold consultations with party members, including occasional in-person meetings, and has remained active in her personal routine.
The former prime minister had declared on August 5 that she was “determined to return home”, while party figures have suggested that she could seek to return towards the end of the year.
With Dhaka continuing to seek her extradition and New Delhi stressing the role of its courts, Hasina’s future in India is likely to remain a major point of contention in bilateral relations in the months ahead.
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