Bangladesh High Court Rejects Plea To Ban ISKCON Activities

The Bangladesh High Court rejected a plea to suo motu ban ISKCON, assuring that authorities have taken appropriate measures.

The Bangladesh High Court has rejected a plea to ban the ISKCON. The court on Wednesday received a plea to ban the temple's activities in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh High Court on Thursday said that it would not issue a suo motu order to prohibit the activities of ISKCON in Bangladesh, following assurances that relevant authorities have already taken appropriate steps in this regard.

During the proceedings, the court stressed the importance of the government maintaining vigilance to safeguard public safety, uphold law and order, and protect lives and property across the country, reported Bangladeshi media website The Daily Star.

The remarks were made after Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque and Deputy Attorney General Md Asad Uddin informed the bench about ongoing legal actions. They stated that three cases have been filed in connection with the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and ISKCON's activities. As many as 33 individuals have been arrested in relation to these cases so far.

The plea accused ISKCON of being a "radical organisation" that "threatened national security" and "provoked communal unrest", according to a The Dhaka Tribune report.  

On Wednesday, Supreme Court lawyer Md Monir Uddin pointed out newspaper reports about ISKCON to the High Court Bench, seeking a ban on the religious organisation in Bangladesh. He also sought the imposition of prohibitory orders in Chattogram, Rangpur, and Dinajpur.

Following this The court on that day asked the attorney general to inform this court about what steps the government has taken regarding ISKCON's recent activities.

The HC decision comes amid the row over the arrest of ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested on sedition charges. He allegedly raised a different flag on a stand mean to to hoist the Bangladesh national flag. He was denied bail and sent to police custody. Iskcon slammed the arrest. India said the issue is Bangladesh's internal matter but expressed serious concerns over the state of safety in the nation. 

(This is a developing story and is being updated.)