India has kept the extradition request sent by Dhaka for former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under review, the country’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed at a press briefing in New Delhi.
Jaiswal said Bangladesh has sent a fresh extradition request after the International Criminal Tribunal for Bangladesh (ICC) sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death. “We have received the request, and it is being considered as part of the judicial and domestic legal process.”
Sheikh Hasina has been in India since August, having left Bangladesh in the face of a student-led movement in July 2024. Although her whereabouts are secret, Bangladesh has already sent letters twice asking for her return. However, this is the first time Delhi has publicly acknowledged receiving the letters.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the country is “committed to the peace, democracy and stability of the people of Bangladesh” and will continue to engage with all parties.
Dhaka sent the first extradition request last December. The second request was sent this month after the International Criminal Tribunal’s death sentence, which is now being vetted within India’s legal framework.
Source: Reuters, The Statesman