Bangladesh says it has done its part to seek Hasina's return

TL;DR in 30 sec

• Bangladesh’s Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said on 14 November that Dhaka has completed the legal steps needed to seek former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition from India, Prothom Alo and PTI reported.
• “What they (India) will do is up to them,” the minister said, according to Prothom Alo.
• On 13 November, India’s External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the matter is a legal one and will be dealt with accordingly, PTI reported.
• Hasina, who has lived in India since August 2024, rejects the charges and the proceedings against her, according to PTI.

What happened

“We have completed everything required from our side as part of the legal process,” Asaduzzaman said, according to Prothom Alo and PTI. He spoke to reporters in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon, after an event at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre, Prothom Alo reported.

Hasina would return to Bangladesh through a legal process under the two countries’ extradition treaty, he said, according to bdnews24.com. “When she is extradited under the treaty, that itself is a legal process,” he said, according to bdnews24.com.

Had India discussed sending Hasina to a third country? The Indian side “will be able to answer that”, the minister said, Prothom Alo reported.

He was also asked whether Hasina could appeal against her sentence if she returned. She would not be entitled to that relief, he said, citing Article 47(3) of Bangladesh’s Constitution, which bdnews24.com said was added in 1973. That provision, he said, bars a person accused or convicted of crimes against humanity from claiming fundamental rights, according to bdnews24.com and Outlook.

Why it matters for India 🇮🇳

The request leaves the Indian government with a decision to make about a former head of government of a neighbouring country who lives in India. India has acknowledged receiving Bangladesh’s extradition requests but has not announced a decision, PTI reported. According to bdnews24.com, New Delhi had not responded to the request.

Dhaka has linked progress on the extradition to a possible visit to India by Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, PTI reported. The Tribune described Hasina’s return as a key point of strain in relations between the two countries.

Background

Hasina left Bangladesh for India on 5 August 2024, after a student-led uprising ended her government, The Tribune and PTI reported. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal tried her in absentia, that is, without her being present, PTI reported. In November 2025 it sentenced her to death on a charge of crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on protesters in July and August 2024. On another charge, she was sentenced to life imprisonment, according to PTI.

Dhaka first asked for her extradition through a diplomatic note in December 2024 and renewed the request after the verdict, The Tribune reported. The interim government that followed Hasina handed power in February to an elected government led by Rahman, PTI reported.

At the MEA’s briefing on 10 November, Jaiswal said, “The issue of Sheikh Hasina’s extradition is a matter of law and justice,” bdnews24.com reported.

Different perspectives

The Bangladesh government. The law minister said the next step is for India, and that Hasina “will return to Bangladesh through a legal process”, bdnews24.com reported. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Dhaka would seek her return only through the existing extradition treaty, PTI reported.

The Indian government. Jaiswal said on 13 November that the matter is legal and will be handled accordingly. “India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh,” he said, according to PTI. Asked about a BBC Bangla report that India had set conditions for her return, he said, “Look, I have nothing to say on that,” Prothom Alo reported.

Sheikh Hasina. Hasina rejects the charges and the proceedings against her, PTI reported. She has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, and has approached the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, through a London-based legal chamber, for a new passport and national identity card, according to PTI. The reports cited here carried no response from Hasina to the law minister’s remarks.

Open questions 🤔

• Will India decide on Bangladesh’s extradition request, and through which legal process?
• Has India set any conditions for Hasina’s return, as a BBC Bangla report cited by Prothom Alo said?
• Will Hasina go ahead with her stated plan to return to Bangladesh in December?

What to watch next

India has not announced a decision on the extradition request, PTI reported, and none of the reports cited here gave a date for one. Hasina has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, according to PTI.