Sheikh Hasina extradition request under legal review, says India

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like New Delhi : India said on Friday that the Bangladesh government’s request for extraditing former premier Sheikh Hasina is being examined as part of judicial and legal processes, while emphasising that New Delhi will constructively engage with all stakeholders on the matter. India examining Bangladesh request to extradite Sheikh Hasina, says govt (X/ ANI)There has been a subtle shift in India’s position on the matter, which was also raised when Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman met external affairs minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on April 8, especially in view of the Indian side’s focus on forging a working relationship with the new government in Dhaka. Hasina has lived in self-exile in India since she fled Bangladesh in August 2024 after the ouster of her government following weeks of student-led protests. Bangladesh’s erstwhile interim government first made the request for her extradition in December 2024. “The request is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes. We will continue to engage constructively on the issue with all stakeholders,” Jaiswal told a weekly media briefing in response to a question from HT. Jaiswal responded to another question about a law passed by Bangladesh’s Parliament this month that is expected to give legal backing to the ban imposed on Hasina’s Awami League party by the interim government by saying: “We follow all developments very closely.” A statement issued by Bangladesh’s foreign ministry after Rahman’s meeting with Jaishankar had said the Bangladesh side “reiterated its request to extradite Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal” as they had been given the death penalty by the International Crimes Tribunal. People familiar with the matter said the The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2026, passed recently by Bangladesh’s Parliament to endorse the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2025, has provisions to ban individuals or entities involved in terrorist activities. The law does not specifically refer to any political party and it remains to be seen whether it would be used against the Awami League, the people said. Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music.