HC denies bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das in lawyer Alif murder case

The High Court today (10 May) denied bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a suspended Iskcon leader and spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagran Jote, in a case over the killing of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chattogram.

The court, however, fixed tomorrow to deliver its order on bail petitions in four other cases involving him.

A High Court bench comprising Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher gave the order today after dismissing a rule issued over his bail petition in the murder case.

Advocate Apurba Kumar Bhattacharya represented Chinmoy during the hearing, while Deputy Attorney General Shaila Sharmin and Assistant Attorney General Md Alamin appeared for the state.

Earlier, hearings concluded on the rules issued regarding Chinmoy's bail in five separate cases, including the murder case. The High Court had issued the rules on 1 September last year.

After being granted bail by the High Court on 30 April last year in a sedition case filed over alleged disrespect to the national flag, he was shown arrested in the five other cases.

The sedition case was filed on 31 October 2024 by Firoz Khan, general secretary of the Chandgaon Mohra ward unit of the BNP in Chattogram. The case accused Chinmoy and 18 others of sedition. He and several others were arrested in the case on 25 November the same year.

Notably, violence erupted on 26 November 2024, following the sedition case, during which lawyer Saiful Islam was beaten and stabbed to death.

Following the incident, his father, Jamal Uddin, filed a murder case naming 31 individuals.