B'desh completes legal process for Hasina return

Bangladesh has completed all legal procedures required to secure the return of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India, and the next step rests with New Delhi, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said on Saturday, according to local media reports.

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"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, according to Prothom Alo.

The minister said Hasina would return through legal means and that her extradition under the bilateral treaty would itself constitute a legal process.

Asked whether Hasina would be given a legal opportunity to return, he said she would come back through due process.

On whether she would be entitled to appeal against her death sentence, Asaduzzaman said she would not have that opportunity under the relevant law, Dhaka Tribune reported.

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Asked whether India had held discussions with Bangladesh about sending Hasina to a third country, the minister said the Indian government would be able to answer that question, Prothom Alo reported.

Bangladesh has been seeking Hasina's extradition from India after she fled the country in August 2024 following a student-led uprising that toppled her government.

International Crimes Tribunal convicted Hasina in November 2025 of crimes against humanity for her role in the crackdown on protesters during the July-August 2024 uprising.

Tried in absentia, she was sentenced to death on one charge and life imprisonment on another. Hasina has rejected the charges and the proceedings.

Bangladesh's demand for Hasina's extradition has continued even after the interim government that succeeded her administration handed over power in February to an elected government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

India has acknowledged receiving Bangladesh's extradition requests but has not announced a decision on handing her over.

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.

He further said: "India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh."

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.

The relations between the two neighbours came under fresh strain after the press event.

The event drew a sharp reaction from Dhaka, with Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry saying it was "outraged" that Hasina had been allowed to interact with the media in New Delhi despite conveying its concerns to the Indian government in advance.

India, however, distanced itself from the event, saying it was organised by a private media entity 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 PM Rahman, saying New Delhi would need to expedite her handover and return other fugitives sought by Bangladesh to create a conducive environment for the visit.

The India-Bangladesh consular dialogue was scheduled for next week, but it has been postponed.

Hasina has no legal option left but to face execution of her death sentence, the International Crimes Tribunal's Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said earlier this week, rejecting 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 seeking a new passport and national identity card.

Bangladesh's Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had then said that the government was examining the authenticity and legal grounds of applications submitted by Hasina.

However, Bangladesh's state minister for foreign affairs Humaiun Kobir reiterated that Dhaka would seek her return from India only through an existing extradition treaty.

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